Regulation Of Public Transport Research Articles

Transport system and transport education development: Some challenges and opportunities

It is recognized that one of the most important sectors of the modern megacities economy is their transport system (including transport system of such a rapidly developing megacity as Moscow). The transport system of the Russian capital is a complex structure which includes numerous different types of transport, and is characterized by high congestion, high level of passenger traffic, that indicates not only the positive impact of transport on the socio-economic system of the city, but also the appearance/occurrence of various negative consequences, such as overloading of roads, deterioration of road conditions, suboptimal traffic, unworked routes, difficulties with dispatching regulation of public transport. The Moscow Government systematically solves the problems of the transport complex. At the same time, it is worth noting the significant role of educational organizations (transport education is actively developing): provision of qualified personnel, organization and conduct of various research projects. However, even here there are challenges and opportunities.

The Problem of Ignorance of Public Transport Regulations Among Passengers in Poland on Example MZK Toruń

The authors of the publications focuse on the problem of ignorance of public transport regulation among passengers, in particular emphassis on bus. The main part of publication contain details about public transport passengers rights and obligation and liability of carrier for damage caused during transport will be discussed. The publication will also discuss the studies conducted by the authors regarding the knowledge of passenger rights and procedures with their compliance with the binding of passengers traveling by public transport in Toruń.

Evaluation of emission reduction benefits of traffic flow management and technology upgrade in a congested urban traffic corridor

This paper presents the results of the investigation of the three emission mitigation alternatives—upgradation to higher Euro norms, conversion to cleaner fuel and regulation of public transport, a major cause of interruption to traffic flow, from the private modes of transportation in a congested urban traffic corridor using both on-road measurements and emission modelling. The results show that the upgradation from Euro-III to Euro-VI emission standards for passenger cars could reduce up to 83–90% of CO, 86–92% of HC, 83–84% of CO2 during peak hours and 77% of NOx emissions during off-peak hours. The change of fuel from gasoline to CNG for auto-rickshaw could reduces up to 89% of HC and CO, 32–36% of CO2 during peak hours and 23–56% of NOx emissions during off-peak hours. And, by regulating the frequency of buses, emissions of CO2, CO and HC from both passenger car and auto-rickshaw reduced up to 40–66% during peak hours and NOx up to 40% during off-peak hours. The results, thus, showed that traffic flow management can bring significant emission reductions.

A Right to Transport? Moving Towards a Rights-Based Approach to Mobility in the City

Given the spatial and economic inequalities inherent to South African towns and cities, which have been exacerbated by recent waves of urbanisation, this article aims to situate the provision of public transport in South Africa within a rights-based framework. This involves both an acknowledgement of the geographical components of human rights and of the human rights impacts of policies pertaining to transport provision and regulation. Relying upon urban theory on the ‘right to the city’, we illustrate how public transport, while not the subject of an independent constitutional right, is central to accessing the objects of most constitutionally ensconced socio-economic rights, and is also an integral element of exercising various civil and political rights. Drawing from examples in contemporary Johannesburg, we accordingly argue that executive policy choices in relation to the provision and regulation of public transport should be assessed through a rights-based prism and should be subjected to dialogic interaction with the judiciary, within a substantive, rights-based understanding of mobility and urban accessibility.

Bus Competition in Ireland: Delayed by Regulatory Roadblocks

AbstractCompetition in local bus services in Ireland has been prohibited for more than 80 years, with the majority of services operated by state‐owned monopolies. The Public Transport Regulation Act 2009 seemed to herald a radical departure. It established a new transport regulator and provided that, after an initial five‐year period, routes would be opened up to competitive tendering unless an extension of the incumbents' monopoly rights was necessary to guarantee continuity of services. Yet in December 2013 the regulator decided to extend the state bus companies' monopolies on the vast majority of their routes until the end of 2019. This paper argues that there is no economic evidence to support this decision, which is reminiscent of the previous policy approach of protecting the state companies and raises concerns of possible regulatory capture. The paper calls for the phased introduction of competitive tendering of all routes currently operated by the state bus companies as quickly as possible.

Designing public transportationtariff scale by modeling demand <i>(the case of moscow region commuter railway)</i>

Currently fares on public transport in Russia are calculated on the basis of carrier’s costs. The subsidies and tariffs are annually approved by the regulator on the basis of the costs’ structure. This paper presents another approach to the determination of tariffs, which is widespread in developed countries. It is based on modeling passengers’ reaction to fares and is able to create appropriate incentives for the carrier. We apply it to the case of commuter rail pricing in Moscow region. To do this, we model the revenue function and evaluate people’s reaction to fares to find an optimal tariff menu. These results can form the basis of a new methodology of tariff regulation of public transport in Russia.

Hybrid urban transport systems in developing countries: Portents and prospects

Some South African cities have initiated public transport transformation projects which, in most cases, ultimately envisage the in toto replacement of paratransit operations with formalised BRT systems. There are two likely outcomes: (1) complex negotiations with existing operators and budget constraints will result in the in toto transformation occurring over an extended period of time; or (2) in toto transformation will simply not occur. In either case, cities will depend, for decades, on a ‘hybrid’ public transport system that combines both formal and paratransit operators. This paper presents a case for policy recognition of hybrid systems, and explores how such systems might best be managed. The following categories of hybrid public transport systems are explored through case studies: (1) transformative processes in which paratransit operators are to form or assimilate into companies to operate new services, but this incorporation has proved difficult to complete and the operational and regulatory frameworks remain unchanged; and (2) transformative processes that, from the outset, anticipated a hybrid system and designed the outcome accordingly. A third category of hybrid transport systems, defined as transformative processes that have been amended following a realisation that in toto transformation is unattainable, is also introduced and discussed. The paper concludes by tentatively drawing lessons for appropriate public transport regulation, particularly with respect to Cape Town's transformation project. It is argued that a review of the current national regulatory framework is required to enable possible project modifications that acknowledge system hybridity. It is suggested that regulatory frameworks that accommodate the likely hybrid nature of public transport system outcomes have greater prospects of success than frameworks that do not. Furthermore, it is argued that contextually appropriate and successful public transport transformation projects do not necessarily require the in toto substitution of incumbent paratransit operators, and that they can be integrated with, and complement, formal services.

Reforming the urban public transport bus system in Malta: Approach and acceptance

The islands of Malta have joined the European Union in 2004 and have for the past decade suffered a decline in the patronage of its public transport service. Offered under a monopoly by an Association of individual owner drivers, the public transport service has not changed dramatically since its start in the early 1900s. Instead, an organic growth alongside the main routes linking new areas to the public transport network and a declining level of service pushed even more the local population to switch to private mobility. This has classified the islands amongst the countries in the world with the highest levels of motorisation. In 2008, following a general election and a general strike held by the public transport operators over the Government’s intentions to remove monopolies, the new Minister for Transport published his intentions to reform public transport from its roots. This reform included the removal of the monopolies protecting the incumbents as well as developing a new network of services which cater more effectively to the public’s travelling demands. This paper deals with the public transport reform and through direct observation details the processes involved in the regulation of public transport as well as the design of the new public transport network. The paper concludes with the critical factors which led to implementation of the reform and how this is applicable to cities worldwide.

Road Safety in Developing Countries - The Case of Transportation Management in Dar Es Salaam City

Countries of the developing world are characterized by rapid urbanization, high growth rates in traffic and congestion and decreasing regulation of public transport. Because the majority of the developing world's inhabitants are dependent on public transport services for their mobility needs, the need for safe, effective and efficient public transport is essential to ensure adequate, affordable, accessibility and the continuing sustainable development of livelihoods in the rural and urban. Finally, recommendations are made to reduce both the severity and number of public transport accidents in the future. This paper highlights the historical road safety and the transportation management in Dar es Salaam. In the field of road traffic control and management, the primary policy objective is to develop appropriate institutional and organizational arrangement towards further efficient road use.

Bussing between hegemonies: the dominant ‘frame’ in Oxford's transport policies

In 1972, a revolution in local transport policy in Oxford resulted in the dominant doctrine of the previous 30 years—providing for car use—being replaced by an alternative policy ‘frame’ focussed around the promotion of bus use. Although subsequently challenged in the 1970s and 1980s, the pro-bus policy community remained sufficiently strong to implement a further level of bus-oriented policy in the 1990s. Bus use in Oxford has returned to levels not observed since the 1960s, against a trend of decline nationally. The present paper examines how the policy problems came to be framed around the bus and how the frame evolved to accommodate changes in the funding and regulation of public transport. The extent to which the Oxford experience informs future policy-making towards demand management in urban areas is considered and the explanatory value of the concept of framing is revisited.

Bus Accidents in India, Nepal, Tanzania, and Zimbabwe

Countries of the developing world are characterized by rapid urbanization, high growth rates of traffic and congestion, and decreasing regulation of public transport. Because the majority of the developing world’s inhabitants depend on public transport services for their mobility needs, safe, effective, and efficient public transport is essential to ensure adequate and affordable accessibility and the sustainable development of livelihoods in the rural and urban sectors. The operational environment of the public transport sector in Nepal, India, Tanzania, and Zimbabwe is examined, as well as the extent of accidents involving public transport vehicles and the likely causes. Finally, recommendations are made to reduce both the severity and the number of public transport accidents.

Optimising urban public transport regulation in Pakistan: the Faisalabad NGO model

Optimising urban public transport regulation in Pakistan: the Faisalabad NGO model

Public transport regulation through a government organized NGO: the Faisalabad experience in Pakistan

In Pakistan, public transport services in urban areas are suffering from poor quality and undue regulation. In order to alleviate the situation in Faisalabad, government officials founded a welfare organization which has assumed responsibility of public transport regulation. It is registered with the Social Welfare Department as the Faisalabad Urban Transport Society (FUTS), which organizes stage carriage services with the active participation of private minibus operators. This paper describes a unique experience of public transport operation under the new form of regulation and control. It provides an account of the organizational structure, objectives and operational characteristics of the society, and various aspects of planning and regulation are evaluated, with their impact on the performance and quality of services offered by the FUTS. It is concluded that the FUTS services are a measurable success, providing substantial improvements and commanding wide acceptance both by passengers and by the private operators participating in the scheme. The key factors involved in this success are realistic fares, the involvement of private operators in decision making, freedom from the constraint of government bureaucracy, and strict enforcement of service standards. Further investigation is needed into the sustainability and replicability of this regulatory model.

The Role Of Public Transport Regulation In TheImprovement Of The Urban Environment

In the fight against degradation of the Urban Environment, many references are made to the potential contribution of Public Transport, but it must be recognised that little progress has been achieved. The regulatory framework of Public Transport can have a powerful effect on these matters, as authorities have the possibility of clearly defining their goals, which should explicitly contain an indication of the thresholds they wish to preserve in terms of the air quality, availability of space for pedestrian circulation and sojourn, etc. Such decision are strategic in their nature, and it is only very infrequently that authorities take the risk of making such clear statements. In addition, they can also define (or launch the procedure that leads to a good definition of) the networks and timetables, as well as the quality specifications of the service they consider adequate and possibly necessary. Operators can then be called by tender to provide the corresponding services, desirably leaving them some manoeuvring room for service improvement in response to the market. The choices at the level of the regulatory framework can have a very strong influence on the capability of the system to be effective in the defence of the quality of the urban Environment. This paper, based on the conclusions of the recently concluded ISOTOPE research project (EC 4* Framework Program on R&D - Transport Program) develops the basic arguments in this direction, and then presents some specific examples of the decision variables that come up in this context, as well as the alternatives corresponding to each decision and the likely impacts that those may have towards reaching that goal.