Abstract
This paper reviews the need for the development of transit performance measures, in the light of recent legislation and public subsidy issues for public transportation in the United States. An evaluation framework is presented, which defines and distinguishes between the efficiency, effectiveness and impact of public transit efforts. The application of this framework in evaluating public transit investments, and the use of the performance measures obtained through the application of this framework, in the allocation of funds among systems is then discussed. Research needs with respect to data collection requirements, cross-jurisdictional comparability, and the utility of the proposed performance measures for decision-making are finally addressed.