THE NEW BUS NETWORK

The views of county and regional personnel on the public transport situation following deregulation are outlined. From the planning officer's point of view, the importance of analysing the shortcomings of the commercial registrations for providing public transport services, and devising supplementary services required by the local authority policies, such as providing adequate services for the elderly and the disabled, is stressed. From the point of view of the contracts officer, the problems of tendering, especially the large administrative burden, the length and understanding of contract documents, are reviewed. Concern is expressed over the low return of tender invitations, which is typically 10%. Summaries are given of the effects of deregulation: (1) the trend in expenditure for support costs is down; (2) for service levels, perceived gains result from high frequency minibus networks, and the majority consider that passengers will not be worse off overall; (3) a small majority think the registered network will be stable; and (4) the main problem of deregulation is publicity of the services available. Other problems include child fares, traffic regulation and bus stops, crossing boundaries, bus stations, and contract terms. For the covering abstract of the conference see IRRD 819712. T