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Transit Services for Sprawling Areas with Relatively Low Demand Density: A Pilot Study in the Texas Border’s Colonias

The colonias along the Texas-Mexico border are one of the most rapidly growing areas in Texas. Because of the relatively low-income of the residents and an inadequate availability of transportation services, the need for basic social activities for the colonias cannot be properly met. The objectives of this study are to have a better comprehension of the status quo of these communities, to examine the potential demand for an improved transportation service, and to evaluate the capacity and optimum service time interval of a new demand responsive transit “feeder” service within one representative colonia, El Cenizo. The authors present a comprehensive analysis of the results of a survey conducted through a questionnaire to evaluate the existing travel patterns and the potential demand for a feeder service. The results from the subsequent simulation analysis showed that a single shuttle would be able to comfortably serve 150 passengers/day and that the optimal headway between consecutive departures from the terminal should be between 11-13 minutes for best service quality. This exploratory study should serve as a first step towards improving transportation services within these growing underprivileged communities, especially for those with demographics and geometry similar to the target area of El Cenizo.