Transportation Brokerage: An Instructional Module.

A concept-based introduction to transportation brokerage is provided in this instructional module for undergraduate and graduate transportation-related courses for disciplines such as engineering, business, marketing, and technology. The concept of transportation brokerage is defined as an assignment of the management of a specific element of a city's or region's transit needs to an independent agency or firm. The components of a brokerage operation are described, along with problems and issues associated with the adoption of such a system. Attention is directed to brokerage operation variations, the process of market segmentation and its uses as a planning technique for transportation brokerage; the importance of community support; various federal agencies that provide financial support; funding channels for integrated transportation systems; major barriers to innovative transportation systems; the complexities of implementing a brokerage operation; characteristics of transportation contracts; managing a brokerage operation; and use of evaluation and promotion to maintain high efficiency for the system. Key ideas are illustrated by case histories and examples. An eight-page bibliography is appended. (SW)