COMPARATIVE TRENDS IN URBAN BUS OPERATION

The decade 1970 to 1980 was one of ecconomic, technical and organisational change for British urban bus operators. PCL has just completed a two-year SSRC-suponsored study of how local authority bus undertakings (districts, PTES, Scottish regions and London transport) performed over the decade which included local government re-organisation, recurring fuel shortages and the almost complete transition from front-engined two-man crewed buses to rear-engined one-person-operated fleets. This paper summarises the results, commenting in particular on the considerable variations in performance between undertakings and assessing why they occurred. Performance is evaluated according to criteria of demand, revenue, fare levels, operating costs, service levels, vehicle and staff productivity. Changes in demand are assessed according to numbers of passenger trips made, which is also related to population served, bus mileage operated and levels of fares. Overall, patronage declined by 25%, but for individual operators the loss varied between an almost negligible level and over 50%. For almost all operators fares rose in real terms, in some instances by as much as 50%. Staff productivity improved for most operators, but with some notable exceptions. With operators and their political masters anxious to avoid the spiral of decline, service levels have been cut relatively little. Vehicle productivity has often fallen as those limited reductions have tended to affect evening and weekend services with a consequent cut in weekly hours in service for each bus and the technical complexities of modern buses have demanded more maintenance down-time. The paper conlcudes by highlighting opportunities for change over the next decade. In particular, the paper suggests where hitherto less successful operators might benefit by adopting practices whose worth has been proved in other locations. (Author/TRRL)