Glossary

Glossary

Transportation professionals are notorious for using lots of technical terms and jargon that often sounds like a different language to the rest of the world. Even learning the differences between different types of transit can be difficult, including for people who work with these issues evenday! This glossary is intended to be a resource as you seek to learn more about transportation in your community. It is constantly growing, so if you are looking for a term and can't find it here, please contact us.

Alternatives Analysis (AA)
Bus Rapid Transit (BRT)
Capital Costs
CCT
Circulator
Commuter Rail
Express Bus Service
Fixed Guideway
Flex Service
Florida Department of Transportation (FDOT)
HART
Heavy Rail
High Speed Rail
HOV/HOT Lanes
Light Rail
Local Bus Service
Managed Lanes
MCAT
Metropolitan Planning Organization (MPO)
Mode/Multimodal
New Starts
Operating Costs
Paratransit
PCPT
Preliminary Design and Environment (PD&E)
PSTA
PTA
Public Private Partnership (PPP or P3)
RIght-of-Way (ROW)
SCAT
Screens (in an AA)
TBARTA
THE Bus
Transportation Planning Organization (TPO)

Alternatives Analysis (AA): An AA is an important step in the process of applying for federal funding. During this step, all feasible alternatives are considered for both the alignment of the transit service and for the type of transit service (e.g. express bus vs. BRT vs. commuter rail vs. light rail). The result is a decision on both alignment and technology referred to as the "Locally Preferred Alternative."

Bus Rapid Transit (BRT): Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) systems, as the name suggests, are designed to be much faster than traditional bus service. This speed is accomplished in several ways. First, in true BRT systems, the buses operate in exclusive, separated lanes reserved specifically for buses. Even in systems without dedicated lanes, BRT has fixed stations about every half mile, this means fewer stops than typical bus service, and therefore faster service. Fares are collected at the stations - similar to rail transit - again, speeding service by eliminating the time taken to pay the fare as the bus is boarded. Lastly, modern BRT is given priority when moving through traffic in two ways. First, signals on the bus communicate with traffic lights, so if a bus is approaching a light, it will stay green longer to allow the bus through. Second, BRT that does not run on dedicated lanes employs "queue jumps" at busy intersections. The queue jumps are essentially a short extra lane for the bus only, which allows it to move to the front of the line and pass through the light ahead of the backed up traffic.

Captial Costs: The cost required to build a system to a point where it becomes operational. This includes right-of-way, materials, construction labor, vehicles, etc.

CCT: Citrus County Transit

Circulator: Most people, when making trip for something other than work, travel within the area of their neighborhood rather than from one end of a city to another. Circulators address this reality by connecting residents to their local stores, schools, hospitals, and places of entertainment. These smaller buses come every 10-15 minutes and travel on a loop within a fixed area. This differs from traditional bus service in which a long line stretches from one end of the city to another or from a suburban area to a downtown.

Commuter Rail: Commuter rail service is typically designed to connect suburban areas to major employment centers. It is kind of like the rail equivalent of express bus. There are fewer stops compared to light rail service, usually several miles between stations. As the name suggests, the service is primarily geared towards commuters, so in many regions, trains operate only during the morning and evening rush hours.

Express Bus Service: Express bus service makes infrequent stops and is largely designed as a commuter service to transport large numbers of people from large, suburban residential areas to major employment areas.

Fixed guideway: Fixed guideway refers to any transportation system that is fixed in one place. The two most common examples of this are roads and any type of rail. Bus rapid transit can also be considered "fixed guideway" if separate, dedicated lanes are constructed.

Flex Service: is an on-demand, door-to-door van-based service open to all passengers. It can be seen as a combination of traditional service and a circulator. Flex service typically has an identified route or area, but the bus will deviate up to approximately 1/2 a mile from that route to pick up and drop off passengers. This service is well suited to lower density areas, and is similar to a circulator in that it connects residents to their local destinations (shops, schools, doctors, etc.).

Florida Department of Transportation (FDOT): The agency responsible for developing and maintaining the state transportation facilities in the state of Florida.

HART: Hillsborough Area Regional Transportation Authority

Heavy Rail: The most well-known example of heavy rail is a subway system like in New York City or the Metro in D.C. Heavy rail is similar to light rail in that it is used to get around within a metro area and is not limited to just commuter use. The stops are more frequent than with commuter rail and service runs more often, even 24 hours. It is an electric-powered railway but does not feature the overhead wire seen in electric light rail systems. The key feature of heavy rail is that it is designed to accommodate a heavy volume of traffic (hence the name), and characterized by exclusive rights-of-way, high speed and rapid acceleration. It also often runs underground. These features make heavy rail significantly more expensive than light rail, and therefore only suited to very high-density, highly populated metro areas.

High Speed Rail: High speed rail (HSR), according to the Federal Railroad Administration, is rail transportation with a speed above 110 MPH. These trains are best thought of as an airplane on wheels, and are common in Europe and Asia. HSR trains operate on their own exclusive tracks and make very infrequent stops to help maximize speeds. In January, President Obama announced that federal funding had been designated for high-speed rail in Florida, with the first corridor connecting Tampa and Orlando. The Florida Rail Enterprise, a division of the Florida Department of Transportation, is responsible for planning, constructing, maintaining, operating and promoting Florida’s high-speed rail system. Later, Governor Scott rejected the federal funding. Read more about HSR here.

HOV/HOT Lanes: HOV lanes stands for high occupancy vehicle lanes (aka bus or carpool lanes). These lanes are reserved for people who share a ride in carpools, vanpools, and/or buses. In some areas, vehicles with only a driver may be able to pay a toll to use the lane (referred to as HOT lanes for high occupancy toll lanes).

Light Rail: Light rail or light rail transit (LRT) is a form of urban rail public transportation that generally has a lower capacity and lower speed than heavy rail metro systems, but higher capacity and higher speed than streetcar and trolley systems. The term is typically used to refer to rail systems with rapid transit-style features that usually use electric rail cars operating mostly in private rights-of-way separated from other traffic but sometimes, if necessary, mixed with other traffic in city streets.

Local Bus Service: Local bus is the type of service most residents are familiar with and makes up the bulk or our service now. This is the basic service that follows linear routes on existing roads and makes frequent stops.

Managed Lanes: Managed are toll lanes that are limited for use to buses and/or carpools. These lanes employ techniques such as congestion pricing (a system where the toll fee rises as congestion on the main roadway rises) to keep traffic moving freely.

MCAT: Manatee County Area Transit

Metropolitan Planning Organization (MPO): MPOs are government agencies that are required by state and federal law and funded by the federal government. They are responsible for transportation policy and transportation planning for all urban areas with populations greater than 50,000. The purpose of establishing MPOs was to make sure that transportation projects would follow a longer term plan and vision based on the needs of the specific community.

Mode/Multimodal: The word mode is another word for a type of transportation or a way to travel. For example, walking biking, driving, riding transit, and flying are all considered "modes." Multimodal refers to transportation systems or communities that are designed to accomodate multiple modes.

New Starts: A competitive federal grant program that is the primary source of federal funding for transit capital investments.

Operating Costs: Ongoing costs that arise from operating a transit system including wages, salaries, taxes, supplies, fuel, etc.

Paratransit: This is a specialized bus service provided for individuals who have a disability that prevents them from driving and who do not have access to regular bus service.

PCPT: Pasco County Public Transportation

Preliminary Design and Environment (PD&E): PD&E is the stage that follows the Alternatives Analysis (AA) when working with the federal government on transportation projects. During this stage, planners go into even greater detail with their calculations, identify a local funding source to match the federal government's investment, and assess the environmental impact of the project.

PSTA: Pinellas Suncoast Transit Authority

PTA: Polk Transit Authority

Public Private Partnership (PPP or P3): A contractual agreement between a public agency and a private company to allow greater private participation in providing transportation services.

Right-of-Way (ROW): Publicly owned land that may be used for transportation purposes.

SCAT: Sarasota County Area Transit

Screens (in an AA): When reading about the status of an Alternatives Analysis (AA), you may hear the stages in the analysis referred to as "screens." This refers to the ongoing process of elimination that occurs throughout an AA. Each "screen" can be thought of as a filter based on certain criteria (e.g. cost, expected ridership, public input) that is used to rule out some of the potential alignments and modes being considered. This screening process allows planners to reach a "Locally Preferred Alternative," a finalized route that they will ask the federal government to help them to build.

TBARTA: Tampa Bay Area Regional Transportation Authority

THE Bus: The Hernando Express (Hernando County Transit)

Transportation Planning Organization (TPO): Similar to an MPO but for smaller communities, a TPO is responsible for transportation planning.

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