QUALITY BUS - BUSES FOR CAR OWNERS

This paper considers who the real customers for a growing public transport market might be, and shows how the 'Quality Bus' could meet their needs. It suggests how practical feasible public transport solutions could be achieved, using this concept. The only place for real growth in the bus market is among car owners, very few of whom use buses at present. The main bus service needs of bus passengers, in approximately this order, are reliability, frequency, stability, information, speed, access, value for money, and image. In a bus journey, a typical proportion of the travel time spent on the bus may be only 40% of the present journey time. The technical, market and social conditions are now right for a Quality Bus solution to be achieved. The key is to bring all these elements together into one package, and resist the temptation to invest across too wide an area. Quality Bus can be achieved when operators supply high-quality services, road systems provide speed and access, and advanced technology completes the fulfilment of user needs. The components of Quality Bus are: information, walks to and from the bus stops, waiting, and riding. A successful example of a Quality Bus service in Ipswich, England is described, and the future of Quality Bus is discussed briefly. For the covering abstract, see IRRD 890269.