Title: If You Build It (Bus Rapid Transit with High Levels of Service) They (Discretionary Riders) Will Come (Especially If You Give Them Free Parking)
Description: This thesis investigates the impacts of the introduction of Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) on transit ridership and usage patterns in the greater Hartford region. CTfastrak marks a significant upgrade by the state of Connecticut to modernize the capitol regions transit system, and has been hailed as a success by the state government. However, the systems detractors maintain that the system is a costly burden on state finances with limited use by the broader population. This thesis seeks to answer some of the questions regarding the system effectiveness and distributional effects. First, how have the system upgrades affected the travel behaviors of the pre-existing transit ridership? Secondly, what groups of people have become transit riders because of CTfastrak? Finally, how do these two groups access and utilize the system differently? The answers to these questions have important implications for the future of CTfastrak in particular, but also more broadly bus rapid transit in the United States on the whole.

The Hartford regions dispersed land use pattern and autocentricity pose challenges familiar to many American cities. Results from the survey suggest that previous riders have increased the amount of travel and trips that they make over a monthly basis. Additionally, the system is attracting new riders, many of whom have higher incomes. The diversification of the transit systems ridership provides an opportunity for the region to encourage a shift away from autocentric development patterns.