Man and his transport behaviour Part 4. Fare strategies for public transport—a problem outline

Abstract

In April 1983, the “Fourth World Conference on Transport Research” was held in Hamburg. For a period of four days, experts from all parts of the world discussed transport research and planning problems. The discussions were divided into eight so‐called ‘sub‐topics’. Fortunately, one of the sub‐topics, ‘Man and his Transport Behaviour’ (chaired by Moshe Ben‐Akiva, U.S.A. and Werner Brög, Federal Republic of Germany) dealt with the individual and his behaviour. This complemented the traditionally supply‐oriented thinking of the transport planners by introducing the demand component which had frequently been neglected in the past. Since the view has become increasingly widespread that transport is meant to serve people, and thus, that research should emphasize the (potential) users of the transport system, the number of papers submitted and presented on this sub‐topic was especially large.

However, the number of papers which could be included in the ‘Conference Proceedings’ was limited and this would have meant that a number of interesting documents could not be published. Therefore, papers on four special areas within this sub‐topic are to be published in four consecutive issues of Transport Reviews. The areas which will be dealt with are ‘Telecommunications’, ‘Non‐Motorised Transport’, ‘Special Problems in Third World Countries’ and ‘Fare Structures in Public Transport’. The papers were selected strictly according to their contents. A brief commentary in each issue explains in turn the reasons for choosing each of the four subject areas.

Parts 1–3 appeared in Transport Reviews, 4, 99–113, 173–212, 273–298.     

Transport and nation‐state governments: a global review

The review undertaken in this paper shows how, at the beginning of 1988, nation‐states of the world allocated ministerial responsibilities for the important function of transport. A total of 118 countries are examined, compared with 111 in 1982 (Transport Reviews, Vol. 2, No. 4) and 115 in 1985 (Transport Reviews, Vol. 5. No. 1). The analysis reveals an increase in the number of ministers solely responsible for one mode of transport, and notes an increase in the number of designated ministers for tourism. The paper goes on to examine the two main duties of ministers of transport: safety and economic regulation; and of the increasing need for closer international co‐operation as new transport technology, the growing demand for travel and expanding world trade make our world ‘an even more local village’ in the decades to come.     

Second international conference on new survey methods in transport Hungerford Hill,Australia 12–16 September 1983

The Second International Conference on New Survey Methods in Transport was held at Hungerford Hill, Australia in September 1983. The aims of the conference were to provide a focus for discussion of survey methodology and to establish bench‐marks with respect to the state of the art in various facets of transport surveys. The conference evolved around workshops in twelve key areas: sample design, survey needs for modelling, questionnaire design and piloting, perceptual studies, diary surveys, longitudinal studies, interactive survey methods, freight surveys, traffic surveys, total design concepts, response errors and data correction, and coding and computing.

A number of plenary keynote papers were also presented describing the state of the art in cross‐sectional, longitudinal and interactive survey methods. Emerging from the conference discussions, six key issues were prominent; the gap between the state of the art, as espoused by researchers, and the state of practice, as employed by practioners; the differences in results obtained when employing different survey methods to collect essentially the same data; the emerging use of the telephone for the conduct of interview travel surveys; the interaction between survey methods and demand modelling and the disparate levels of sophistication in the two areas; the role of microcomputers in the design, conduct and analysis of transport surveys; and the need for practitioners to engage in controlled experimentation, so that methodological advances may continue to be made in the field of transport surveys.     

Changing patterns of urban travel Part 2. public transport and future patterns of travel

This two‐part paper contains most of a report prepared by TRRL for the European Conference of Ministers of Transport, and presented by one of the authors to the Council of Ministers in November 1984. Part 1, which was published in the January‐March 1986 issue of Transport Reviews, looked at the way cities have been changing over the years and the influence of growing car ownership on trip patterns. This part examines the changes in public transport use in more detail, considers the interactions between the various underlying trends, speculates on future travel patterns by both public and private means and considers the likely impact of land use and transport policies.     

Competition and ownership in land passenger transport: The 7th International Conference

This is the fourth time that Transport Reviews has published a summary of the workshop sessions from the Thredbo Conference. The intention is to disseminate more widely the main findings and conclusions from these sessions at this important international conference. Interested readers are also encouraged to view the full papers presented at the Institute of Transport Studies, University of Sydney website.     

Reflections on transport in the future

Abstract

The first INTRA Seminar, held at the College of Europe, Bruges, in April 1982, was on the theme Transport in the Future: some possibilities and their implications. This theme was chosen to give an opportunity to consider transport requirements and resources in the broadest possible way, and as a prelude to later Seminars on more specific subjects. Throughout, the emphasis was on major trends and possible discontinuities which may have important policy consequences. The seminar also aimed to help participants—who attended by personal invitation—to broaden and deepen their understanding of the role and nature of transport and its internal and external relationships.

These ‘reflections’ are intended for wider circulation, particularly for senior officials in national and international organizations not directly or regularly involved in transport but who may find it helpful in their own activities. They are not intended to be either complete or comprehensive, but deliberately emphasize those aspects which participants identified as requiring more consideration and examination. The opening section, entitled Overall Impressions, is a brief general statement. The fuller account of the Seminar which follows is largely based on the Working Paper circulated before the Seminar, on introductory Statements on particular topics prepared by participants, and on the reports by the Moderators of Study Groups; it has also benefited from advice and suggestions from others who intended to take part but who were prevented from doing so.

Since this account has been prepared by the two INTRA organizers, it naturally reflects their views of these papers, discussions and suggestions. Equally, any views expressed are not necessarily those of all participants—or, indeed, of any individual participant—nor of the organizations or institutions with which they are associated.     

The trade‐off between efficiency,effectiveness, and social feasibility of regulating road transport externalities

This paper discusses the tension between the theory and practice of the regulation of road transport externalities from the viewpoint of the trade‐off between efficiency, effectiveness and the social feasibility of regulation. Various possible types of regulatory instruments, subdivided into ‘direct’ demand management, ‘indirect’ demand management and ‘supply side’ oriented policies, are evaluated qualitatively according to these criteria. Attention is then directed towards the trade‐off between efficiency, effectiveness and feasibility within the field of ‘direct’ demand regulation of road transport.     

Models of the Relationship between Transport and Land‐use: A Review

Abstract

A two‐way interaction between transport and land‐use has been one of the central research topics of transport studies. Thus, it is not surprising that there have been numerous approaches taken to investigate this reciprocal relationship. This paper critically examines the existing literature to see how effectively the current models represent this mutual interaction. This examination process intends to form a prototype reference that compares and contrasts the advantages and disadvantages of the various models. This undertaking is dealt with based on theoretical, methodological and operational characteristics of a respective model. Some conclusions and suggestions are also drawn.     

The effects of regulatory reform on the US inter‐city bus industry

Transport regulation in the USA has undergone radical reforms over the past decade. This paper looks specifically at the comparatively neglected topic of the 1982 Bus Regulatory Reform Act which liberalized the regulations governing US inter‐city bus transport.

The Act represented a significant reform of the 1935 legislation which had formed the basis of regulation for nearly fifty years. It liberalized entry and fare controls and gave power to the Interstate Commerce Commission to override State decisions. The paper details the changes, examines their rationale and assesses the impact they have exerted on the US inter‐urban bus industry. The general conclusion is that overall the Act has been beneficial in improving the economic efficiency of carriers although some minor reservations must be retained regarding its adverse effects on smaller towns and rural areas.     

Do Road Planners Produce More ‘Honest Numbers’ than Rail Planners? An Analysis of Accuracy in Road‐traffic Forecasts in Cities versus Peripheral Regions

Abstract

Based on a review of available data from a database on large‐scale transport infrastructure projects, this paper investigates the hypothesis that traffic forecasts for road links in Europe are geographically biased with underestimated traffic volumes in metropolitan areas and overestimated traffic volumes in remote regions. The present data do not support this hypothesis. Since previous studies have shown a strong tendency to overestimated forecasts of the number of passengers on new rail projects, it could be speculated that road planners are more skilful and/or honest than rail planners. However, during the period when the investigated projects were planned (up to the late 1980s), there were hardly any strong incentives for road planners to make biased forecasts in order to place their projects in a more flattering light. Future research might uncover whether the change from the ‘predict and provide’ paradigm to ‘predict and prevent’ occurring in some European countries in the 1990s has influenced the accuracy of road traffic forecasts in metropolitan areas.     

Implications of globalization for co 2 emissions from transport

Transport accounts for about 25% of global CO 2 emissions. Transport activities are on the rise in the coming decades. Would associated CO 2 emissions move upwards as well, and at what rate? The present paper explores the future of these CO 2 emissions, starting from four scenarios for global transport. Considering fuel consumption, energy efficiencies in transport, occupancy rates of transport means, size of cars on the market, and possible environmental policies we find CO 2 emissions are persistently increasing, especially in the less wealthy areas of the world. In Europe, policies that attempt to control mobility and also limit CO 2 emissions may succeed in reducing emissions growth by about 30%. Efforts to increase energy efficiency of transport, in particular road transport, would contribute most to such reduction.     

Measuring Success of PPP Transport Projects: A Cross-Case Analysis of Toll Roads

Abstract

The aim of this paper is to measure ‘overall’ success of a public private partnership (PPP) transport projects using four case studies. All four case studies are PPP toll roads from four different EU countries (UK, Spain, Portugal and Greece). The case studies have been analysed using a manual Qualitative Comparative Analysis approach. According to the paper, three different perspectives have been used to measure the success of a project, that is, project management perspective, stakeholder perspective and contract management perspective. The ‘overall’ success has then been deduced by bringing these three perspectives together as a holistic approach. The findings are presented in the form of a matrix and the final outcome of the paper shows a simple methodological approach that can be used to measure success of a PPP transport project. Since the study takes more of a qualitative approach, researcher bias and perceptions have a major role to play in the final outcome. However, to reduce ‘biasness’, quantitative measures have also been used to quantify the Key Performance Indicators and performance measures in the case studies. It is hoped that the study makes a valid contribution to the areas of transport PPPs and performance measurement.     

Transport in developing and emerging nations

One perspective on the allocation of transport investments by public authorities is offered by the so‐called ‘pork barrel’ model, whereby politicians and political parties allocate public investment spatially in such a way as to gain electoral support from localities so benefited. The paper introduces this model and discusses its attractions and problems in the case of the transport sector. A review of the modest number of published examples of this approach is offered before a detailed case study considers the case of railway investment in Nelson, New Zealand.     

Calculation of external costs for freight transport

Abstract

The negative impacts of transport are in general associated with costs. These costs are usually denoted as ‘external costs’ or ‘externalities’. This paper presents a tool for calculating external costs for freight transport together with its application to a number of case studies. The categories considered include: air pollution, greenhouse gases, noise, accidents and congestion. Results are presented for a number of different transport alternatives as total costs and divided into categories. The uncertainties in the results are discussed. The assessment of these costs is essential for predicting future transport costs.     

Multilevel modelling of Demand Responsive Transport (DRT) trips in Greater Manchester based on area-wide socio-economic data

Providing public transport in areas of low demand has long proved to be a challenge to policy makers and practitioners. With the developing economic, social and environmental trends, there is pressure for alternative solutions to the policy of subsidising conventional bus services. One potential solution is to adopt more flexible routes and/or timetables to better match the required demand. Therefore such ‘on demand’ or ‘Demand Responsive Transport’ (DRT) services (known as paratransit in the US) have been adopted in a number of locations. This paper seeks to explore the effects of area-wide factors on the demand of DRT by reporting the results of a statistical analysis of DRT service provision in the metropolitan region of Greater Manchester, the public transport authority of which offers one of the largest and most diverse range of DRT schemes in the UK. Specifically, this paper employs a multilevel modelling approach to investigate the impact of both DRT supply-oriented factors at the service area level and socio-economic factors at the lower super output area (LSOA) level on the average number of trips made by DRT per year. This hierarchical or ‘nested’ structure was adopted because typically the LSOAs within the same Service Area may share similar characteristics. It is found that the demand for DRT services was higher in areas with low car ownership, low population density, high proportion of white people, and high levels of social deprivation, measured in terms of income, employment, education, housing and services, health and disability, and living environment.     

An international study on land‐use and transport interaction

This paper underlines the important role played by the interaction between transport and land use in the way cities develop and the need to use a fully integrated land‐use/transport model to assess the longer‐term impacts of urban policies. Since most of the models of this type had never been properly tested, the Transport and Road Research Laboratory in the early 1980s set up a collaborative study to examine critically their performance and to assess the impacts of a range of commonly applied policies.

The paper briefly describes the first phase of the study in which nine models from seven countries were subjected to a rigorous set of tests covering a variety of policies. For practical reasons each model was applied to the city on which it was originally calibrated. To overcome some of the problems of comparison, a second phase of the study was conducted in which some models were applied to several cities each so that the differences due to the particular characteristics of the cities could be identified. In carrying out this phase, some cities were examined by several models and discrepancies in the results analysed. The setting up of the second phase of the study is outlined in this paper, but not the results, which are given in later papers in this and subsequent issues of Transport Reviews.     

Exploring the distances people walk to access public transport

ABSTRACT

A shift from private motorised transport to more active transportation can, among other things, deliver significant health benefits. The main disadvantage of active transport (in particular walking) for most people compared to private motorised transport is the limited range. Public transport (PT) can complement the use of active modes and extend their range. Therefore, there might be potential to increase physical activity through an increase in PT use. This article takes a closer look at how walking relates to the use of PT by examining existing literature on the topic. It aims to study how far people walk to and from PT and what key factors influence this. Scopus, Transport Research International Documentation and Web of Science have been searched systematically for relevant articles, conference papers and books. After screening of titles and abstracts, 41 relevant publications were identified. Studies were included if they quantified the amount of walking (measured as either distance or time) that is directly related to the use of PT. Studies that quantified walking using general measures of daily physical activity or daily walking or that used stated preference designs were excluded. The PT systems considered in this paper are mass transport systems in urban areas, either road- or rail-based, with fixed schedules and stops. Demand responsive transport services, which can offer door-to-door travel, are not considered, as these systems can to a large extent eliminate the need to walk. In the identified publications, a large variety of walking distances and times have been reported, and these seem to be highly context-specific. The paper establishes the evidence for the wide range of factors that influence walking related to PT, which have been categorised as personal, PT-related, environmental, and journey-related. The different methods that have been used are discussed by critically analysing their advantages and limitations. Only a limited number of these methods used allow for an accurate assessment of the walking distances to and from PT. The paper concludes with suggestions for future research, such as a need for more accurate measurement of walking and research in different geographical areas to shed light on underlying influences of culture and climate.     

Mapping and evaluating the complexity of information flows in freight transport chains

ABSTRACT

The role of information in the efficient management of freight transport systems is well acknowledged. Administrative functions, such as negotiation or payments, involve intensive communication, while the production of the transport service relies heavily on the sharing of information (e.g. track and trace). Yet, specific literature on information flows is relatively scarce. This paper sets out to contribute to filling in this gap. Firstly, it elaborates a set of maps of the information flows for four conceptualisations – direct link, corridor, hub and spoke, and connected hubs – of maritime freight transport, initially proposed by Woxenius (2007, “Generic Framework for Transport Network Designs: Applications and Treatment in Intermodal Freight Transport Literature.” Transport Reviews 27 (6): 733–749. doi:10.1080/01441640701358796). The results reveal a high degree of similarity between import and export services. Secondly, it assesses the complexity of each conceptualisation’s flow network using the concept of entropy. Flows are characterised along four variables: involved agents, timing, and contents and message type. Additionally, a new taxonomy is proposed to categorise the messages. The results evidence the heterogeneous contributions of each category to the complexity of the flows. Finally, the results also reveal that the information flows for the tasks in the pre-transport stage are not specific to the conceptualisation in question and are of comparable complexity to the flows occurring during the transport stage.     

Organizational and Ownership Transformation in Poland’s Urban Transport Companies

Abstract

This paper seeks to reconstruct the organizational and ownership transformation involving Poland’s urban transport that companies passed through after 1990. Data collected from various sources (above all the Internet, including the Bulletins of Public Information) were used to establish the degree of advancement of the transformation processes. Despite the passage of nearly two decades since the new economic reforms were launched, the privatization processes involving enterprises of municipal origin are not well‐advanced. There is not a single private company among the organizers of urban transport. Instead, an absolute domination of budgetary‐sphere entities may be noted. Furthermore, there are seven transport municipal unions. Among the operators (carriers) public ownership remains dominant in the form of single‐person local authority companies, local government companies, municipal union ownerships, municipal companies as well as budgetary units. Privatization processes have encompassed fewer than 10% of all operators in the form of companies with foreign participation, workers’ companies and companies with Polish non‐public sector participation. Moreover, in 20 localities urban transport is supplied by multi‐trade municipal services enterprises (as of end‐2008). Thus, transformation processes, though started earlier than in the case of Poland’s State Road Transport coach companies, are much less advanced.     

The demand for public transport. part II. supply and demand factors of public transport

Abstract

This two‐part article, concerned with the way public transport ridership is affected by the various relevant factors, is based on the Executive Summary of The Demand for Public Transport (Webster and Bly 1980), the report of the TRRL‐sponsored International Collaborative Study on Factors Affecting Public Transport Patronage. Part I of the article, which was concerned with the social and economic conditions in which public transport operates, showed the importance of the background factors such as income, car ownership and land use on public transport usage: it also indicated how the longer‐term impacts of the more direct demand factors (fares, service levels) often show themselves in changes in car ownership levels, activity patterns (i.e. where people live, work, shop, socialize, etc) and land‐use development.

Part II reviews the current state of knowledge on the effects of changes in fare levels and quality of service and of the introduction of various traffic and transport measures (traffic restraint, bus priority, etc): it outlines current methodology on costing public transport services and draws the supply and demand sides together in a consideration of particular strategies which are at the disposal of the operator, the planner and the policy maker.