Date of Award

2011-01-01

Degree Name

Master of Science

Department

Economics

Advisor(s)

Thomas M. Fullerton

Abstract

Factors affecting the demand for public transportation include those, like fares or the level of service, that transit administrators can directly influence as well as those, like gasoline prices, that are beyond administrators' control. This study considers both but focuses on the latter and, more specifically, on how proximity to an international border affects transit ridership. Pedestrian border crossings have a significant effect on ridership levels in El Paso, Brownsville, and Laredo, Texas. Also, ridership correlates positively with the purchasing power of the peso in Laredo and with Mexico's industrial production index in El Paso. In the context of prior research on border retail activity, these findings suggest that public transportation can play an important role in border city economies by enhancing the mobility of cross-border shoppers.

Language

en

Provenance

Received from ProQuest

File Size

94 pages

File Format

application/pdf

Rights Holder

Adam Gregory Walke

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