One Stop Transit

Jun 27 2006

It's only one stop, hop on and don't stop!

Welcome to One Stop Transit!

For those with a keen interest in public transportation, how it began, and where it is headed, One Stop Transit is for you! We aim to make this website your one stop for all things transit. Learn all about the transformations public transit has gone through in the last century. You'll also learn about the future of public transit and its place in the renewable energy craze...  read more »

Jun 21 2008

Los Angeles Public Transportation

Where is LA transit headed?

Los Angeles Metro - Yellow LineSo how good is public transit in Los Angeles? Unfortunately, not as good as it was. At the turn of the century, Los Angeles had one of the most advanced and dedicated transit works not only in the nation, but in the world. Main rail lines came in and out of downtown from all compass directions, and trolley tracks branched out into all the neighborhoods...  read more »

May 10 2008

Who Uses Public Transportation and Why

Who Uses Public Transportation and Why

Railway Visa Vie Freeway, Santa Clara, CAUsers of public transportation are more likely to be those with relatively low incomes (Bock, 1968; Taafe, 1963), have low occupational status (Bock, 1968; Reeder, 1956), and own fewer automobiles (Fertal et al., 1966; Foley, 1950; cited in Mamon & Marshall, 1977)...  read more »

Apr 26 2008

Public Transit's Negative Image in Los Angeles

Why Does Public Transit Have a Negative Image in Los Angeles?

SBB Intercity Train - Switzerland Amy Ford, graduate student researcher at UCLA, points out that "another obstacle is certainly the negative public image in LA [Los Angeles] of transit. Too many people have said to us either 'I would never think of getting on the bus' or 'I thought buses were just for the homeless' to make us think transit will be an easy sell in LA. And, the vast, vast majority of riders that we personally see on the bus are probably dependent, and not choice riders...  read more »

Apr 12 2008

Demand for Transit Services

Demand for Transit Services Determined by Urbanization

Union Station, Los Angeles

The ecological characteristics of Los Angeles are considered to be the primary determinants of its urban transportation system. The size of its population approximates the market scale for transportation services; its population density estimates its economy of operation; and its age indicates the timing of the city's emergence as a metropolitan center, which determines its physical organization as well as its adaptability to private or public transportation...  read more »

Mar 29 2008

Electrification of Transit

How Did the Electrification of Transit Affect Public Transit Progress?

Eurostar Train at Waterloo Station - London, England Initial studies in urban transportation history describe how the limitations of horse-drawn trolley systems spurred the rapid innovation of electrified trolley lines in the context of rising public utility investment, land speculation, and rapid population growth (Ward, 1971, 131-34; cited in Yago, 1983)...  read more »

Mar 15 2008

Evolution of Public Transit

Evolution of Public Transit

Angels Flight Trolley, Los Angeles California

The ecological impacts of public transportation are realized when we examine the influence of a public transport network on urbanization. Urbanization requires the coordination and geographical concentration of specialized economic activities...  read more »

Mar 01 2008

Technological Change Determines Land Costs and Changes in Economic Activity

How Does Technological Change Determine Land Costs and Changes in Economic Activity?

Furka Pass Railway, Switzerland Yago (1983) points out that the conclusions of urban economists and political scientists are similar to those of urban ecologists, though different explanations and evidence are offered about the role and consequence of urban transportation. Economists have elaborated ecological theory by focusing upon how firms and residential consumers of urban land choose to minimize locational costs (Yago, 1983)...  read more »

Feb 03 2008

The Rise of the Automobile: United States versus Europe

How Did The Rise of the Automobile Change Public Transit in the United States versus Europe?

Interior of the German ICE (Inter City Express) This argument also underlies conventional explanations of the differences between European and US mass transit systems. National population density of Germany is higher than that of the United States, owing to pre-industrial and early industrial settlement patterns...  read more »

Jan 06 2008

Spatial Dispersion, Declining Transit Ridership, and Increased Motorization

How Does Spatial Dispersion, Declining Transit Ridership, and Increased Motorization Affect Public Transit?

2002 TGV - Paris, France The economic concentration in the United States automobile industry led to the extension of motorization to the public transit industry (Snell, 1974; cited in Yago, 1983). By controlling supply contracts, bus, oil, and rubber manufacturers eliminated the competing electrical transit industry....  read more »