Cities, will buses cope economically with traffic?
by L. Lesley
International Journal of Vehicle Design (IJVD), Vol. 9, No. 1, 1988

Abstract: Buses are the most used form of urban public transport across the world. This paper looks at conflicts, problems and a variety of strategies for improving transport in cities of the 'first' and the 'third' worlds. In a laissez-faire situation, rising income and expectations of the population tend to result in a downwards spiral for public transport: reduced demand is accompanied by higher fares, poorer services and increased traffic congestion. Labour costs are an important element in the economy of public transport and the work is such that staff are difficult to recruit and retain. The difficulties tend to increase as more diverse employment opportunities develop in a city. Also, the cost of fuel will increase in the future. Therefore it is suggested that planning should include: (a) increased labour productivity through larger vehicles; (b) systems of priority and segregation to mitigate the effects of traffic congestion; (c) development of systems which can match the quality of service provided by private cars, e.g. with short waiting times, fast overall speeds and comfortable seating. These requirements indicate higher levels of capital investment in public transport than is seen in most cities at present.

Online publication date: Mon, 26-May-2014

The full text of this article is only available to individual subscribers or to users at subscribing institutions.

 
Existing subscribers:
Go to Inderscience Online Journals to access the Full Text of this article.

Pay per view:
If you are not a subscriber and you just want to read the full contents of this article, buy online access here.

Complimentary Subscribers, Editors or Members of the Editorial Board of the International Journal of Vehicle Design (IJVD):
Login with your Inderscience username and password:

Username:        Password:          Forgotten your password?

Want to subscribe?
A subscription gives you complete access to all articles in the current issue, as well as to all articles in the previous three years (where applicable). See our Orders page to subscribe.

If you still need assistance, please email subs@inderscience.com