Public Transport Organization Research Articles

Marketing strategies of apsrtc to boost up occupancy ratio with special reference to warangal region-an empirical study

The concept “Marketing” is newly emerging in the field of services sector in India. For the first time in the country amongst the sixty and odd State Transport Undertakings, Marketing Department was established in APSRTC during the year 1994 with a view to take stock of the services rendered to its customers and to improve the same besides implementing various marketing strategies. The application of marketing concepts would enable to develop various passenger friendly schemes to help retain the customers in its fold as well as attract new clientele. This study not only helps APSRTC, but also other State Road Transport Organizations existing across the nation for rendering effective and efficient friendly transport services. The study is undertaken to understand the present marketing practices of APSRTC and chronicle them to enable the enthusiastic sister organizations working in the same/similar industry to make use of them so that the wheel need not be reinvented. The study also endeavors to find gaps, if any, in the organization and to make required recommendations. APSRTC is the largest public transport organization in the world with over 19,000 buses plying on the road every day. It has been recognized by the Guinness book of world as well, since 1996, there has been a continuous drop of occupation in the buses i.e., less number of passengers traveling on APSRTC buses, leading to less revenue resulting in mounting losses. In the year 2005, certain marketing initiatives were launched educating every single employee in the Corporation about the status of the Corporation and need for a change to attract passenger community to get back to APSRTC buses. The main emphasis was to make the crew proactive in attracting the passengers, make the crew more responsible, well behaved with the passengers to improve the image and thereby occupancy of buses. After implementation of these initiatives, there is a significant growth in occupancy in the Corporation, like-wise in Warangal District where the survey has been conducted.

Rola gminy w systemie organizacji i finansowania publicznego transportu zbiorowego

The article describes the system of organization and financing of the local public transport in Poland. Providing local public transport is one of the tasks of local self-government units (called gmina ). According to The Act on Public Transport of 2010 that task may be performed using different legal forms, e.g. budgetary entities or commercial companies established by local self-governments.

User satisfaction and the organization of local public transport: Evidence from European cities

In recent decades, market-opening policies in local public transport (LPT) have impacted most European countries. However, we can observe a high degree of variability in possible LPT arrangements, from public monopolies to open markets. This work addresses the following research question: How does user satisfaction correlate to alternative organisational models of LPT service provision? We use the results of a large survey conducted in 2009 in 33 European cities to analyse the likelihood of satisfaction with standard probit models. Results show that the highest levels of satisfaction correlate with the presence of a single LPT provider, as opposed to an industry structure in which multiple providers operate in the same market area.

Distribution of transport mobility of city population between individual and public transport

A number of recent studies shows that the organization and planning of urban public transport lies in accurate calculation or forecasting of the distribution between the individual and public transport.Previously, it was believed that the potential movement is carried out by transport and on foot. But today it is necessary to define the coefficients of using transport and urban public transport, depending on a set of factors and different percentage of the major population groups.This article has grouped the major impacts on the transportation mobility, according to foreign and domestic researches and obtained during the survey of urban residents. That would allow to take into account the effects of changes in the social, economic and technical indicators when determining the parameters of the transport system of the cities,.As a result of these investigations, the data array was obtained which contains the transport using coefficients and public transport using coefficients for the researched cities. The revealed set of factors influencing the transport mobility allows overall estimation of the distribution of urban residents traveling either by the individual or public transport.

Quand le territoire joue : une comparaison de la prise en compte des enjeux sociaux-spatiaux dans les politiques intercommunales de transports publics

A travers la déconstruction des critères qui président à l’organisation des réseaux de deux politiques intercommunales de transports et de déplacements, cet article vise à apporter une contribution à la question du sens de l’action publique urbaine en s’écartant des discours convenus sur le développement urbain durable. Méthodologiquement, nous étudions l’identité socio-économique de ces territoires pour ensuite les confronter aux choix différenciés d’organisation des réseaux de transports. L’organisation du réseau de transport est appréhendée en premier lieu par une spatialisation des territoires qui bénéficient du déploiement de la desserte intercommunale en transport public puis dans un second temps par une confrontation de ces résultats aux discours de légitimation et de justification tenus par les acteurs de ces politiques urbaines. Cet article aborde donc les ambitions différenciées des politiques intercommunales de transport et de déplacements avec pour hypothèse centrale que l’identité économique et sociale des territoires intercommunaux influence fortement les stratégies de politiques publiques en matière de transport et de déplacements.

A Discussion of Taiyuan’s Urban Master Planning (2010-2020)

This paper presents theoretical comments on the “Taiyuan’s Urban Master Planning (2010-2020)” mainly in the aspects of the city's orientation, functions, urban transportation and eco-environmental planning. It can be seen that the master planning have a new scientific orientation of the city of Taiyuan by perceiving it as “a historic ancient capital of culture"; sufficient attention is paid to the relocation, renovation and update of TISCO, TCIGO and other heavy chemical companies; the newly designed urban public transit passenger transport organization mode is utilized to settle the increasingly prominent urban transport problems; tourism development is promoted under the premise of the protection of ecological environment as well as historical and cultural heritages; a number of shortcomings and recommendations for improvement are also proposed, trying to provide decision-making references for further adjustments and improvements of Taiyuan’s urban planning.

BUS MANAGEMENT AT HO CHI MINH CITY USING GPS AND GIS

In recent years, bus management is the most important function for any public transport organization that involves scheduling and planning of routes. Management of a bus fleet needs useful information to support the decision making in the public services such as monitoring the movement of vehicles at the same time ensuring that the buses run as per the schedule. However, the practical application of GIS and GPS for bus management in Ho Chi Minh city is limited and still at an early stage of development. Particularly, measures for effective use of integrated Global Positionaing System (GPS) and GIS are not widely used in planning and managing bus network. This paper introduces the solution for choosing the appropriate model of GPS and GIS to set up an online bus tracking system of Ho Chi Minh city, in terms of not only the cost saving benefit for setting up an information management system but also to support the setup of network for information exchange. Presented in this paper is a system, which was evolved by the suggested solution in using GPS and GIS technology for tracking of its buses in order to improve the quality of HCM city’s public transportation management services.

Regionalism in the organisation of traffic in Hungary

In the member states of the European Union, especially in Germany and Austria, regionalism has a growing importance by the organising of public services. At the field of public transport services the regional organising methods will be realised through the establishment of public transport associations in interest of coordinating the local, suburban and regional public transport interests. In the period since the 90’s there are a not a lot of best practices regarding the regional organisation of public transport services in Hungary. The study goals to present the position of the local and regional interest in the public transport organisation in Hungary, and deals with the reason the lack of best practices also.

Application of Multi-criteria Evaluation Method for the Selection of Check-in System in Urban Public Transport

In the transition to a new system or upgrading an existing check-in it is necessary to take into account several important facts affecting the activity and organisation of urban public transport (PT), the quality of transport process, and the associated satisfaction of passengers. This article is focused on the possibilities of modern check-in technologies, which are intended for the urban public transport, their subsequent comparison and evaluation

Market Orientation in Public Transport Research—A Review

It is commonly argued that, in order to meet increasing competition, public transport organizations and systems need to be market oriented. Even though the notion of market orientationhas not been explicitly addressed in public transport research, studies relevant to market orientation have been conducted. The aim of this paper is to introduce the concept of market orientation into the field of public transport, to review previous research into market orientation in public transport research, and to suggest directions for future research. Market orientation is defined as the generation and dissemination of market intelligence by organizations, as well as responses to it. The review suggests that previous academic research has focused on intelligence generation by developing and using models for measuring travel behaviour, stated preferences, perceived customer quality, and satisfaction. Studies of responsiveness have mainly addressed the physical improvements made in public transport organizations, which is also the primary concern of the industry research accounted for. There has been less research into the dissemination of market intelligence, the drivers of market orientation, the relations between the elements, and the overall concept of market orientation in public transport. It is thus concluded that future public transport research needs to address these issues.

Urban public transport in Europe: Technology diffusion and market organisation

Technological change and incremental technology, at various levels, are believed to have played an important role in the success of urban public transport in Europe. In this paper, a historical overview of the evolution of different transport modes across different European cities is presented. Our major concern is with the processes of diffusion of urban transport modes in European cities and, in particular, with the factors, mainly of an economic nature, that may explain their rates of adoption across Europe. Among these factors, special attention is given to the role played by the dimension and organisation of public transport markets in the rates of adoption of different public transport modes. The main conclusion of the paper is that the success of the introduction of a new transport mode appeared to be mainly related to its ability to provide cheaper and more reliable transport services compared with previous transport modes, and that, in the case of the electric tram, this was achieved by transforming of the structure of the market relating to this urban transport mode into monopolies.

Forced Listening: The Contested Use of Loudspeakers for Commercial and Political Messages in the Public Soundscape

Beginning in the late 1920s, loudspeaker technology transformed the American soundscape. Through applications such as storefront radios, sound trucks, and transcast radio in modes of public transportation, advertisers, political parties, and religious organizations used this new medium to capture and hold the attention of nearby listeners. Seeking to expand upon existing theoretical models by scholars such as Jacques Attali and Karin Bijsterveld, this piece focuses on sound trucks and the contested use of soundscapes by powerful interest groups and organizations for the delivery of amplified commercial and political oratory. As sound trucks became widespread, unwilling listeners quickly pushed for their regulation arguing that freedom of speech did not invest the speaker with the right to force the attention of captive audiences nor to invade others’ sonic privacy. These debates culminated in two U.S. Supreme Court cases in 1948 and 1949.

Bus drivers’ exposure to bullying at work: An occupation‐specific approach

The present study employs an occupation-specific approach to examine bus drivers' exposure to bullying and their trait anger, job engagement, job satisfaction and turnover intentions. A total of 1,023 bus drivers from a large public transport organization participated in the study. The findings show that bus driving can be a high risk occupation with regard to bullying, since 70% of the bus drivers had experienced one or more acts typical of bullying during the last six months. As many as 11% defined themselves as victims of bullying, 33% of whom (i.e. 3.6% of the total sample) see themselves as victims of frequent bullying. Colleagues were most frequently reported as perpetrators. Exposure to bullying was negatively related to job engagement and job satisfaction and positively related to turnover intentions. Job engagement and job satisfaction mediated the relationship between bullying and intention to leave, respectively. Trait anger had an interaction effect on the relationship between bullying and turnover intentions. This study indicates that workplace bullying has context-specific aspects that require increased use of context-specific policies and intervention methods.

Comparison of factor scores and factor structures of NEO-PI R between job applicants and normative group

The present study aimed to analyse the extent to which Positive Presentation Management influences on factor scores and factor structure of NEO-PI R personality inventory in the context of personnel selection. Subjects of present study are 21,349 applicants who applied for a French public transport organization and filled out NEO-PI R personality inventory during 5 years. Comparisons with French norm showed significant differences in scores of all of five factors: scores of Neuroticism and Openness are lower than French norm (deflation of factor scores) and those of Extraversion, Agreeableness, and Conscientiousness are higher than French norm (inflation of factor scores). Confirmatory factor analysis and Procrustes rotation demonstrated that variations of factor scores due to Positive Presentation Management did not affect 5-dimensional factor structure. From these results, we can conclude that applicants' Positive Presentation Management affect factor scores but does not affect structural validity of NEO-PI R. We further proposed a norm of NEO-PI R scores for individuals in contexts of high-stakes testing.

Comparison of factor scores and factor structures of NEO-PI R between job applicants and normative group

The present study aimed to analyse the extent to which Positive Presentation Management influences on factor scores and factor structure of NEO-PI R personality inventory in the context of personnel selection. Subjects of present study are 21,349 applicants who applied for a French public transport organization and filled out NEO-PI R personality inventory during 5 years. Comparisons with French norm showed significant differences in scores of all of five factors: scores of Neuroticism and Openness are lower than French norm (deflation of factor scores) and those of Extraversion, Agreeableness, and Conscientiousness are higher than French norm (inflation of factor scores). Confirmatory factor analysis and Procrustes rotation demonstrated that variations of factor scores due to Positive Presentation Management did not affect 5-dimensional factor structure. From these results, we can conclude that applicants' Positive Presentation Management affect factor scores but does not affect structural validity of NEO-PI R. We further proposed a norm of NEO-PI R scores for individuals in contexts of high-stakes testing.

Secondhand smoke in public places: Can Bangalore metropolitan transport corporation be a role model for effective implementation of cigarette and other tobacco products Act, 2003?

The Indian government enacted 'The cigarettes and other tobacco products act, 2003' (COTPA), which prohibits smoking in public places. To validate the efficacy of the Act of 2003, enacted by the Government of India, to prevent secondhand smoking in public places. The study is based on a non-random sample survey of 2,600 bus passengers carried out in the premises of three mega public road transport organizations in Karnataka state, India, in June 2007. The information was gathered through administration of structured schedules. A sample of 1,000 each for the terminus of Bangalore Metropolitan Transport Corporation (BMTC) and Karnataka State Road Transport Corporation (KSRTC) in Bangalore and, 600 for North West Karnataka Road Transport Corporation (NWKRTC) in Hubli-Dharwad city was distributed proportionately according to the number of platforms in each terminus. Simple Averages. There is some reduction in smoking in general as perceived by 69% of the passengers as compared to the scenario a year before the enactment of COTPA. The observed smoking is lower in the bus premises of BMTC where there is strict regulation, and higher in the bus premises of NWKRTC, which has not taken any regulatory measures. Knowing smoking is banned in public places can itself create awareness depending on the coverage extended by media and implementing an agency to reach the public. The implementation of an act depends on the willingness of stakeholders to act upon it. The implementation of COTPA as done by BMTC could well become a role model for replication elsewhere, if BMTC can strive harder to accomplish a 100% smoke-free zone.

The perceptions of employment equity and black economic empowerment as predictors of union commitment

The purpose of the study was to test whether the perceptions of employment equity (EE) and black economic empowerment (BEE) are related to union commitment and whether the perceptions about the mentor’s role significantly mediate this said relationship. The sampling frame for the study constituted 1200 employees of a division of a large public transport organisation and a convenience sample including all 1200 employees yielded 637 fully completed records (a 53% response rate). The results of the study indicate that the perceptions of EE and BEE are significantly related to union commitment, but that perceptions of the mentor’s role do not mediate this relationship. More detailed findings on the study are reported. Opsomming Die doel van die studie was om vas te stel of die persepsies van werkgelykheid (EE) en Swart ekonomiese bemagtiging (BEE) verband hou met vakunieverbondenheid en of die persepsies omtrent die mentorrol hierdie verhouding beduidend medieer. Die steekproefraamwerk van die studie het bestaan uit 1200 werknemers uit ’n divisie van ’n groot vervoeronderneming en ’n gerieflikheidsteekproef wat al 1200 werknemers ingesluit het, het 637 volledige rekords opgelewer (’n 53% responskoers). Die resultate van die studie dui daarop dat die persepsies van EE en BEE beduidend verwant is aan vakunieverbondenheid, maar dat persepsies van die mentorrol nie hierdie verhouding medieer nie. Meer gedetaileerde bevindinge van die studie word gerapporteer.

Proactive climate in a post-reorganization setting: When staff compensate managers' weakness

This study explored the effects of proactive climate on performance in a post-reorganization setting. We hypothesized that proactive climate should have both a direct effect on unit performance and should—in the sense of the “substitutes for leadership” approach—enhance the effect of managers' entrepreneurial attributes (e.g., personal initiative) on unit performance. Hypotheses were tested using data from organizational units, called “centres” (n = 35), of four recently reorganized public transport organizations. Managers provided ratings of centre performance, and centre members assessed their centre's climate. Proactive climate was positively related with performance. Moderated regression analyses revealed significant interaction effects between proactive climate and some centre manager variables; however, the interaction pattern indicated that proactive climate compensated for a low degree of entrepreneurial attributes.

Organizing for Intelligent Transportation Systems: Case Study of Emergency Operations in San Francisco Bay Area

Computer-integrated transportation (CIT) is envisioned as an integrated network of public and private transportation organizations, each with unique responsibilities but working toward a common mission of facilitating travel across all modes of transportation. Research on CIT is extended to emergency operations (EOs) and presented. EOs in California are examined and their role in gathering and using traffic incident information is identified. The basis of coordination between EOs and transportation management centers is established. Intelligent Transportation System (ITS) services and technologies that may be beneficial to EOs are identified, and the similarities and differences between California EOs and the emerging ITS national architecture are compared.

Total quality management in a public transport organisation in Hong Kong

In Hong Kong, most transport services are provided by large public organisations. The quality of the services is continuously criticised by the public. Critics describe them to be insensitive to complaints and quality improvement. Their operations are not in line with the recent quality developments in most markets; e.g. quality assurance and total quality management (TQM). In this connection, staff of the infrastructure and building department of the Kowloon Canton Railway Corporation (KCRC) have instituted the ‘internal computer index’ to monitor the performance of departments within the KCRC in 1994. This paper had detailed their first attempt to bring in the ‘internal customer’ and ‘continuous quality monitoring’ concepts which are originated from the total quality management approach to develop an ‘internal customer satisfaction index’ as a tool for continuing quality enhancement, to identify areas for improvement, arousing the different surveyed units, and finally, to provide a systematic way to lift quality awareness within the KCRC. The scheme was initiated in 1994. From June to December 1994, the implementation of the scheme has recorded a slight progressive improvement in the performance index, inferring that the approach can provide an effective tool in upgrading the quality of services provided by the infrastructure and building department of the KCRC. The study also highlights the importance of total involvement within an organisation in executing the scheme.