LOCAL AUTHORITY ASSOCIATIONS' TICKET TO RIDE INITIATIVE

This paper is based on the Joint Local Authority Associations' bus policy document Ticket to Ride. It summarises its main recommendations, and challenges some perceptions of the recent performance of public transport in the UK. It restates the need for comprehensive local transport policies, within which the bus industry's role can be identified clearly, and approppriate targets may be set to monitor its progress and performance. It reviews the role of the local authorities, including Passenger Transport Authorities (PTAs) and their Executives (PTEs). Its theme is that Britain needs high quality bus services and passenger infrastructure, supported by proactive road management policies, so that public transport can provide effective and attractive alternatives to private transport and compete with cars. One key problem is that buses, which carry most public transport passengers in the UK, still have a very poor image that is much worse than that of trains or trams. It is vital to raise public perceptions of what buses can offer. This can be done by: (1) better communication and promotion by the bus network; (2) making the network less liable to upset by competitive pressures; and (3) more inter-available multi-modal ticketing. For the covering abstract see IRRD 874487.