Principles of successful High Quality Public
Transport (HQPT) operation and development
STUDY MATERIAL
Guidelines for European HQPT in
small and medium sized cities
GENERAL
PROCEED PROJECT- Principles of successful High Quality
Public Transport (HQPT) operation and development
- European project financed by the EC (2006-2009)
- GOAL: Assistance to plan, develop and implement effective and
efficient public transport bus systems
- SCOPE: Small and medium sized EU cities
- OUTCOME: “Guidelines for High Quality Public Transport” &
“Study Material”
More information and Final Guidelines document may be found at:
http://www.proceedproject.net
Guidelines for European HQPT in small and medium sized cities
GENERAL
OVERVIEW OF THE PRESENTATION
Planning, implementing and operating a High Quality
Public Transport Bus System
- Guidelines on methods for market analysis
- Guidelines on developing and upgrading network and
infrastructure
- Guidelines on financing
- Guidelines on management
- Guidelines on marketing strategies
- Examples and study sites
- Recommendations
- Conclusions
Guidelines for European HQPT in small and medium sized cities
GENERAL
Quality control as part of management of
public transport services:
- How to achieve a certain level of service
quality (punctuality, reliability…)?
- Which indicators can be used to describe a
certain quality to be targeted?
- How to measure, control, certify or
standardise quality?
Guidelines for European HQPT in small and medium sized cities
GENERAL
Principle of the quality
circle
Quality pyramid in public
transport
Comfort
&
service
Organisational /
operational
issues
Basic supply level
e.g.
e.g. frequency,
frequency,
operating times,
times,
catchment area
Basic supply features are the groundwork
of PT and on top of it the Comfort and
service features, all theseinfluenced by
Organisational/Operational issues
Guidelines for European HQPT in small and medium sized cities
MARKET
Methods for analysing the market side
Analysis of:
- local conditions
- local travel demand
- user needs and expectations
- monitoring of performance
Guidelines for European HQPT in small and medium sized cities
NETWORK
HQPT as part of the urban transport policy
integrated with land use planning
- Development of planning strategy in first
stages of planning process
- Implementation of a policy on served /nonserved areas to find the balance between
economic and social demands
- Need for a strong political will
- Good cooperation between urban
developers, planners, financial & transport
planners
Guidelines for European HQPT in small and medium sized cities
NETWORK
Developing and upgrading
network and infrastructure
- Plan on different levels:
short/ med / long term
- Timetable coordination
- Intermodality:
interchange strategies
- Bus lanes & traffic priority
Guidelines for European HQPT in small and medium sized cities
NETWORK
Developing and upgrading
network and infrastructure
Examples of busways
& traffic priority
Guidelines for European HQPT in small and medium sized cities
NETWORK
Appearance of
vehicles
Real-time displays
at buses, stops &
atraction places
Accessibility &
location of bus
stops
Traffic calming
Guidelines for European HQPT in small and medium sized cities
NETWORK
Examples
Two-way busway adjacent to an all-purpose street
discouraging illegal use of bus way in Annecy
Road sign showing part-time
bus lane in Cambridge
One way for all traffic with a
contraflow bus lane into the
city (0,7 kms) in Chámbery
Bus reserved lane controlled
by rising bollard in Cambridge
Guidelines for European HQPT in small and medium sized cities
NETWORK
Cross-city line
Commonline types in
urban bus networks
Loop line
Suburb
A
City
centre
Suburb
B
Ring line
Suburb
A
City
centre
City
centre
Suburb
Suburb
B
Tangential line
Radial line
Suburb
Suburb
C
Suburb
A
City
centre
City
centre
Suburb
B
Guidelines for European HQPT in small and medium sized cities
FINANCING
How can improvements in public transport
systems be financed?
Justification from Welfare Economics
through Cost Benefit Analysis (CBA)
Contracts and tendering of services:
market regime, performance based
incentive schemes, financial & service
provisions
Guidelines for European HQPT in small and medium sized cities
FINANCING
Innovative financing?
-
employer/employee taxes
parking charges and fines
sponsored bus lines
consumption taxes
road charges
property related taxes, etc…
Guidelines for European HQPT in small and medium sized cities
FINANCING
Advertising on buses and at stops
Examples:
- Brighton & Hove (UK) buses
- Park & ride advertising in
Plymouth (UK) buses
Guidelines for European HQPT in small and medium sized cities
FINANCING
Fare level and structure
Fare structure
Financial Framework
+
Objectives
Evaluation /
feedback
Ticket strategy
Ticketing and tariff system
+
Impact / results
Guidelines for European HQPT in small and medium sized cities
MANAGEMENT
Computer-based operation control systems
Wireless communication between
on-board GPS unit, GPS Satellite,
radio system and traffic control
centre done with GPS and radio
signals
(Source of both figures: ITS Decision, California Center for Innovative
Transportation at the University of California at Berkeley and Caltrans, 2005)
Wireless communication between onboard transmitters, roadside
infrastructure and central computer
done with radio signals
Guidelines for European HQPT in small and medium sized cities
MANAGEMENT
Reasons to use automatic onboard
counting systems?
- Operational planning
- Strategic planning
- Share of revenues
Guidelines for European HQPT in small and medium sized cities
MANAGEMENT
- Strategies for vehicle parking area,
maintenance and repair
- Strategies for vehicle checks and cleaning
- Strategies for efficient use of vehicles
- Strategies for staff recruitment, training and
communication
- Software for staff and fleet management
- Management structure
Guidelines for European HQPT in small and medium sized cities
MANAGEMENT
How can a bus system achieve success similar to
that of a tram system?
- Prioritisation measures at crossings?
-
Co-ordinated system of vehicles and platforms?
High frequency? Straight routing?
Clear network layout (few, but frequent lines?
Dedicated lanes?
Guidelines for European HQPT in small and medium sized cities
MARKETING
Development of marketing strategies:
- Measures to attract new users
- Branding policy
- Corporate design
- Political marketing
- Product review
Guidelines for European HQPT in small and medium sized cities
MARKETING
Marketing strategy: choose the instruments
best suited for a special target group
- Customer relations management
- Marketing as a business factor
- Information and ticketing strategy
- … etc
Guidelines for European HQPT in small and medium sized cities
MARKETING
Development of marketing strategies:
- Knowledge base about potential customers
- Customer feedback
- Board of customers
- Travel guarantees
- Customer Information Centre
Guidelines for European HQPT in small and medium sized cities
MARKETING
Example: Cooperation with Park & Ride, Cork
Park & Ride at Black Ash
904 spaces is the 1st purpose-built Park &
Ride site in Ireland
Funded by the Irish Government,
Department of Transport
Operated by Bus Éireann under contract to
Cork City Council
Income exceeded operating costs
Received a national Public Service
excellence award for innovation
Uses dedicated Double-deck buses
Park & Ride shuttle bus, Cork (Ireland)
Charge per car (5 €) includes bus travel
Bus Priority on the corridor
Service used by 200,000 people 1st year
Guidelines for European HQPT in small and medium sized cities
MARKETING
Information before, during
and after your journey
Guidelines for European HQPT in small and medium sized cities
MARKETING
Ticketing strategy:
Customer perspective
Example: Ticket design as
part of the brand in
Jönköping (Sweden)
Example: Clear system branding on special
ticket machines for Fastrack bus network in
Bluewater (UK)
Guidelines for European HQPT in small and medium sized cities
RECOMMENDATIONS
Planning process
Master Plan + Politics
System Operation
Market Analysis
System Characteristics
Guidelines for European HQPT in small and medium sized cities
CONCLUSIONS
- High Quality Public transport is a public
transport system that is able to compete with
private car use.
- “Think tram, use bus”.
- Important role of the “Package approach” of
vehicle, stops, information material, etc as a
combined “product” – the urban bus systems.
Guidelines for European HQPT in small and medium sized cities