Workshop 4 Report: Governance, ownership and competition in deregulated public transport markets

Abstract

This workshop discussed the functioning of deregulated public transport markets, examining competition options for deregulated markets. The regulatory needs of such market initiative ‘deregulated’ markets have been considered both from practical and theoretical evidence, covering both local and long-distance markets (bus, coach and rail). Practical evidence has been presented from mature deregulated markets (such as buses in Great Britain outside London) and updates on experiments in countries such as Japan, New Zealand and Sweden. Emerging evidence on the liberalisation and deregulation of long-distance and international markets in Europe and elsewhere was considered, both for coach and rail. The devising of ‘rules of the game’ formed a centrepiece in the discussions, looking at alternative ways to organise the regulatory guidance of such markets.