Development of a performance measurement system to choose the most efficient programs, the case of the Mashhad transportation system

Transportation system can be improved in any city by performing numerous different measures ranging from relatively inexpensive signal re-timing to very expensive freeway development. Determining the set of measures that are the most cost effective and efficient for a particular city has always been very challenging. In this study, the development of a performance measurement system (PMS) is used as a base for choosing the best programs for the city of Mashhad, Iran. Six programs are selected for analysis; four programs from major public transportation programs and two from major private transportation programs. The following steps are performed to conclude the proposed most efficient programs: (1) defining a wide range of performance measures (PM), (2) selecting a set of PMs based on the city's goals, (3) calculating the improvements of each program and (4) comparing the results with “do nothing” scenario. The analysis shows that modification of the current Taxi Khattee (equivalent to jitney) and introducing the bus rapid transit (BRT) system are the most efficient programs for Mashhad. The very expensive interchange or light rail transit (LRT) system are not as efficient as a modification of the current bus system.