The capital cost estimates in this section were obtained from a nationwide APTS inventory conducted by the Volpe National Transportation Systems Center. Cost estimates varied greatly from site to site. Unfortunately, the estimates collected during the inventory were not sufficiently detailed to determine the cause for the variance. Cost estimates for transit signal priority and traveler information systems were not available. In using the cost estimates, several factors need to be considered.
Cost estimates vary substantially in accordance with the size and scope of the installation.
Implementations varied from basic to comprehensive systems. For example, AVL system implementations ranged from basic systems with automated operations and CAD software to full-scale systems with APC, automated passenger information, transit signal priority, electronic fare payment system, and vehicle component monitoring capability. In most cases, the system costs were not broken down because the information was not available. Furthermore, the fixed hardware and software component costs and variable component costs were not distinguishable due to the lack of detailed information. Nevertheless, cost per vehicle appeared to be the most suitable manner in which to present the cost figures.