Developing the Fourth Edition of the Transit Capacity and Quality of Service Manual (2026)
Chapter: Front Matter
Developing the Fourth Edition of the Transit Capacity and Quality of Service Manual
Paul Ryus
Krista Purser
Burak Cesme
Sarah Brown
Rachel Grosso
Kittelson & Associates, Inc.
Portland, OR
Mark Walker
Alan Danaher
Marco Innao
Foster Nichols
WSP USA Inc.
New York, NY
Will Rodman
Todd Hansen
Kelly Blume
Luis David Galicia
Roya Etminani-Ghasrodashti
Texas A&M Transportation Institute
College Station, TX
Russell Pildes
Drefnie Limprevil
Elias Frantz
Jessica Klion
Andrew Wilson
Foursquare Integrated Transportation Planning
Washington, DC
Jonathan Bunker
Queensland University of Technology
Brisbane, Australia
Conduct of Research Report for TCRP Project A-47
Submitted December 2025
TCRP Web-Only Document 79
Developing the Fourth Edition of the Transit Capacity and Quality of Service Manual
© 2026 by the National Academy of Sciences. National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine and the graphical logo are trademarks of the National Academy of Sciences. All rights reserved.
ACKNOWLEDGMENT
This work was sponsored by the Federal Transit Administration (FTA) in cooperation with the American Public Transportation Association (APTA). It was conducted through the Transit Cooperative Research Program (TCRP), which is administered by the Transportation Research Board (TRB) of the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine.
COPYRIGHT INFORMATION
Authors herein are responsible for the originality and accuracy of their materials and for obtaining written permissions from publishers or persons who own the copyright to any previously published or copyrighted material used herein.
The National Academy of Sciences (NAS) grants permission to reproduce written material in this publication for classroom and non-commercial purposes subject to the rights of any third parties and appropriate attribution. Permission is given with the understanding that none of the material will be used to imply NAS, TRB, AASHTO, APTA, FAA, FHWA, FTA, GHSA, or NHTSA endorsement of a particular product, method, or practice. For other uses of the written material, users must request permission from the National Academies Press.
DISCLAIMER
This document is disseminated under the sponsorship of the U.S. Department of Transportation, FTA, in the interest of information exchange. The U.S. government assumes no liability for the contents or use thereof. Any opinions, findings, and conclusions or recommendations expressed or implied in this document are those of the researchers who performed the research and are not necessarily those of the Transportation Research Board; the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine; or the program sponsors.
The Transportation Research Board does not develop, issue, or publish standards or specifications. The Transportation Research Board manages applied research projects which provide the scientific foundation that may be used by Transportation Research Board sponsors, industry associations, or other organizations as the basis for revised practices, procedures, or specifications.
The Transportation Research Board, the National Academies, and the sponsors of the Transit Cooperative Research Program do not endorse products or manufacturers. Trade or manufacturers’ names appear herein solely because they are considered essential to the object of the report.
The information contained in this document was taken directly from the submission of the author(s). This material has not been edited by TRB.
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COOPERATIVE RESEARCH PROGRAMS
CRP STAFF FOR TCRP WEB-ONLY DOCUMENT 79
Monique R. Evans, Director, Cooperative Research Programs
Waseem Dekelbab, Deputy Director, Cooperative Research Programs
Gwen Chisholm Smith, Manager, Transit Cooperative Research Program
Dianne S. Schwager, Senior Program Officer
Daniel J. Magnolia, Senior Program Assistant
Natalie Barnes, Director of Publications
Brian Haefs, Associate Director of Publications
Jennifer Correro, Assistant Editor
TCRP PROJECT A-47 PANEL
Field of Operations
David Mach, Torrance Transit, Torrance, CA (Chair)
Jonathan Ahn, Metro Transit, MN, Minneapolis, MN
Brent Boyd, San Diego Metropolitan Transit System, San Diego, CA
Pamela Bynoe-Reed, Central Midlands Regional Transit Authority, Columbia, SC
Peter G. Cafiero, Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority, Washington, DC
Svetlana Grechka, Denver Regional Transportation District, Denver, CO
Victoria A. Perk, University of South Florida, Tampa, FL
Robin David Sandell, Sandell Consulting, Balmain East, ACT
Franklin L. Spielberg, Falls Church, VA
Nigel H. M. Wilson, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Arlington, MA
Tahir Khattak, FTA Liaison
Chris Nutakor, FTA Liaison
Scott Pichon, FTA Liaison
Arthur Louis Guzzetti, APTA Liaison
CONTENTS
2. STAKEHOLDER OUTREACH SUMMARY
Characteristics of Survey Respondents
Survey Respondents’ Use of the TCQSM
Survey Respondents’ Input on TCQSM Content and Features
Survey Respondents’ View of TCQSM Improvements
Survey Respondents’ Input on Equity Concepts
Survey Respondents’ Interest in Learning More About the TCQSM
Respondents’ Interest in Continued Involvement in 4th Edition Development
Potential Changes for the 4th Edition
Potential Changes for the 4th Edition
4. RECOMMENDATIONS FOR FUTURE RESEARCH
Effects of Different Bus Facility Types on Bus Speeds
Update of TCRP Report 13: Rail Transit Capacity
Microtransit State of the Practice
Guidebook on Ferry Electrification
APPENDIX B: DETAILED SURVEY RESULTS
Respondents’ Input on TCQSM Content and Features
Respondents’ Input on Equity Concepts
Respondents’ Interest in Learning More About the TCQSM
Respondents’ Interest in Continued Involvement in 4th Edition Development
Mode, Service, and Operations Concepts
Demand Response Capacity and Operations
Rail Transit Capacity and Operations
Ferry Transit Capacity and Operations
Transit Station Capacity and Operations
APPENDIX D: BUS LANE IMPLEMENTATION THRESHOLDS
Recommended Changes to the TCQSM
APPENDIX E: BUS-ON-SHOULDER/PART-TIME SHOULDER USE BENEFITS
Methodology and Data Collection
Recommended Changes to the TCQSM
TCRP Web-Only Document 79 contains the conduct of research report for TCRP Project A-47 and accompanies TCRP Research Report 262: Transit Capacity and Quality of Service Manual, Fourth Edition. Readers can read or purchase TCRP Research Report 262 on the National Academies Press website (nationalacademies.org/publications).
