Evaluation Measures for Rural Transportation Programs
Rural transportation programs should identify evaluation measures that map to evaluation questions and data sources. Evaluation partners can help determine the evaluation measures. Baseline and interval measures can help document changes over the course of the program and measure program outcomes. The measures used to evaluate a transportation program will vary depending on the type of program model. For general information about evaluation measures, visit the Evaluation Measures section of the Rural Community Health Toolkit.
Process measures focus on measuring how services are provided. The Guidebook for Rural Demand-Response Transportation identifies six key measures, including:
- Number of passenger trips
- Mileage cost
- Operational cost per vehicle
- Operational cost per passenger
- Safety incidents
- Punctuality
Outcome measures focus on measuring the results or overall achievements of the program. Examples include:
- Change in accessibility of health and social services in the community (for example, fewer missed appointments due to lack of transportation or fewer reports of inability to fill prescriptions because of lack of transportation)
- Change in awareness of transit service availability
- Change in beliefs and behaviors (for example, about use of different modes of transportation)
- Change in policies and legislation due to the transportation service (for example, land use and safety regulations)
- Return on investment (ROI), examining the program's social and healthcare cost savings
Resources to Learn More
Cost-Benefit Analysis
of Rural and Small Urban Transit
Document
Explores the methodology for estimating transit benefits focusing on the economic impact of public
transit spending.
Author(s): Godavarthy, R., Mattson, J., & Ndembe, E.
Organization(s): National Center for Transit Research
Date: 7/2014