IMPROVING PARATRANSIT PLANNING IN THE TWIN CITIES METROPOLITAN AREA.

A case study of the application of a demand-forecasting technique for demand-responsive transportation systems is presented. The paper shows how one such tool, the FORCAST model (which is based on calibration data from Rochester, New York, and Haddonfield, New Jersey), was successfully validated on two demand-responsive systems and applied in the Minneapolis-St. Paul area. The paper further shows how the demand-forecasting technique has been accepted by the Metropolitan Council (the regional metropolitan planning organization), the Metropolitan Transit Commission (the regional transit operator), and the Minnesota Department of Transportation to (a) determine the feasibility of proposed new demand-responsive services, (b) determine the expansion potential of existing community-centered transit services, (c) aid in service design changes in existing services, (d) determine whether existing services have reached their long-run equilibrium ridership, and (e) explore the possible integration between fixed-route and paratransit services in selected service areas or subregions.