The Internet and other new information and communication technologies are revolutionizing the way services are delivered and organizations are structured. Electronic business processes change the ways organizations operate and conduct business. Opportunities to lower transaction costs and improve efficiency have changed relationships between transit agencies and their suppliers and customers, and they are likely to change industry structures in the longer term. Portals for transactions in government-to-government and business-to-government marketplaces are offered through diverse organizations. Numerous transit agencies offer customized itinerary planning and fare media purchasing over the Internet.
The declining costs of communications, data storage, and data retrieval are accelerating the opportunities spawned by the Internet and other information and communications technologies. Choosing and sequencing investments in technologies, processes, and people to reduce costs and increase productivity present challenges to the transit manager, who must weigh the costs, benefits, and risks of changing the ways services are delivered. To assist in meeting such challenges, the TCRP is developing a new method of carrying out research on the use of information and communication technologies in public transportation.
TCRP's e-transit research program identifies, develops, and promotes research to maximize the benefits of e-commerce and other new technology applications for public transportation and mobility management. The e-transit research program develops both long- and short-term products, with an emphasis on quick delivery. The objective of this project is to provide flexible, ongoing, quick-response research designed to bring electronic business strategies to public transportation and mobility management.
9 reports have been published:
TCRP Report 84, Volume 1: Supply Chain: Parts and Inventory Management;
TCRP Report 84, Volume 2: Application Service Provider Implementation Guidelines;
TCRP Report 84, Volume 3: Using the Internet for Training and Certification;
TCRP Report 84, Volume 4: Advanced Features of Transit Websites;
TCRP Report 84, Volume 5: Concept for an e-Transit Reference Enterprise Architecture; and
TCRP Report 84, Volume 6: Strategies to Expand and Improve Deployment of ITS in Rural Transit Systems.
TCRP Report 84, Volume 7: The Successful Adoption of Web-Based Collaborative Software
