Use of Statistical Process Control in Bus Fleet Maintenance at SEPTA

Anna Lynn Smith, Parsons Brinckerhoff Quade and Douglas, Inc.

Sohail S. Chaudhry, College of Commerce and Finance,

Villanova University

(QC 04)

Abstract

As a provider of public transportation services in the Philadelphia area, the South-eastern Pennsylvania Transportation Authority operates and maintains a large number of transit vehicles for daily use.

In an attempt to improve service quality and reduce costs, the Southeastern Pennsylvania Transportation Authority underwent a program to train staff on the use of Statistical Process Control to track and address quality issues with its bus fleet.

This research presents the steps taken by this public transit agency to implement Statistical Process Control on part of its bus fleet as one element of an overall quality improvement program.