Transit in a border zone: The demand for public transportation in three Texas border cities
Abstract
Factors affecting the demand for public transportation include those, like fares or the level of service, that transit administrators can directly influence as well as those, like gasoline prices, that are beyond administrators’ control. This study considers both but focuses on the latter and, more specifically, on how proximity to an international border affects transit ridership. Pedestrian border crossings have a significant effect on ridership levels in El Paso, Brownsville, and Laredo, Texas. Also, ridership correlates positively with the purchasing power of the peso in Laredo and with Mexico’s industrial production index in El Paso. In the context of prior research on border retail activity, these findings suggest that public transportation can play an important role in border city economies by enhancing the mobility of cross-border shoppers.
Subject Area
Economics|Public administration|Transportation planning
Recommended Citation
Walke, Adam Gregory, "Transit in a border zone: The demand for public transportation in three Texas border cities" (2011). ETD Collection for University of Texas, El Paso. AAI1503751.
https://scholarworks.utep.edu/dissertations/AAI1503751