MONITORING THE EFFECTS OF THE TRANSPORT ACT 1985 IN THE WESTERN WILTSHIRE AREA

This report described the effects of deregulation upon a rural area in West wiltshire which contained a number of small market towns. Surveys of the bus network and of passenger levels were carried out both before and after deregulation. The findings are as follows: a) 80% of the network was registered o commercially; b) the network remained the same as it was before deregulation; C) reliability was good as was cooperation between operators serving the same route corridors. No serious difficulties occurred in the coordination of service or the operation of through fares; d) no new services registered, but some existing ones were improved; e) few new operators have been attracted to the area, and innovation was limited mainly to the introduction of minibus services. However on subsidised taxi bus service was introduced; g) the short-term cost to wiltshire county council is subsidy fell by 26.5%; H) operating costs were reduced by the payment of the rural bus grant; i) information and publicity have worsened, but the county council have taken steps to minimise the effects of this; j) fares were unaffected by deregulation. (TRRL)