TOWARDS A MORE PROFESSIONAL MANAGEMENT AND MAINTENANCE OF PUBLIC TRANSPORT INFRASTRUCTURE

The Dutch Ministry of Transport and Public Works assigns two ambitious objectives to the public transport sector: (1) an improvement of the quality of services offered in order to attract more passengers; and (2) an improvement of efficiency. By a transition of the present organisation of public transport, the actors involved (transport companies, and local and regional government) are stimulated to pursue both objectives. The emphasis is placed on professionality in the relations between the actors involved, for example by the introduction of competition. The focus is on the operational part of public transport. However, the ownership, management and maintenance of infrastructure also need to be reconsidered, because the quality and availability of infrastructure directly influence the public transport quality. (A) For the covering abstract of the conference see IRRD 493592.