Johan Holmgren

Pricing public transport services

This chapter aims at outlining pricing policy for public transport that maximizes the social surplus, that is, the sum of the producer surplus and the consumer surplus, while internalizing possible system-external costs. It starts by presenting the door-to-door transport cost as a key concept in price theory for public transport, and then first principles of optimal pricing valid for all modes of public transport are laid down. These principles are applied to urban (short-distance) public transport in sections 13.2–13.5 and to inter-urban (long-distance) public transport in section 13.6. Section 13.7 summarizes the methodological conclusions.

The influence of organisational changes on cost efficiency in fire and rescue services

Fire and rescue services in Sweden have recently undergone organizational changes aiming at improving service quality and efficiency. Among those changes are an increased number of formalized coope ...

Making headway towards a better understanding of service frequency valuations : a study of how the relative valuation of train service frequency and in-vehicle time vary with traveller characteristics

On-going urbanization has led to greater distances between homes and workplaces and more long-distance commuting, increasing the need for efficient inter-urban transport infrastructure. For sustainability, trains are preferred to private cars. Two key variables affecting door-to-door train travel time are in-vehicle time (IVT) and headway ; however, there is often a trade-off between speed and frequency in a system. If different categories of travellers value IVT and headway differently, their proportions on a route should affect traffic planning. Optimal system design might differ between routes carrying many commuters and routes carrying mainly passengers on single private or business trips. Knowledge of differences in relative valuations of headway versus IVT should therefore affect railway system design. We investigate whether the relative values of headway versus IVT differ between inter- urban commuting by train and single inter-urban trips by train, whilst also examining differences between socioeconomic groups. Stated choice (SC) data from 580 Swedish respondents are used in estimation. Individuals actually commuting and individuals not commuting but imagining that they are when answering the SC questions are asked about their preferences for headway versus IVT. Commuters are estimated to value increased headway 19 percentage points more than do non-commuters. Young people (under age 21 years) value headway more than do older people while people with children value headway less than do the childless.

Urban freight transport initiatives - knowing when it is worth the cost

The continuing requirements for better urban transport systems in general and the need for a healthier environment haves led to an increased level of research around the world. This is reflected in the proceedings of this well-established meeting which demonstrates the steady growth of research into urban transport systems. The variety of topics covered by the conference is of primary importance for analysing the complex interactions of the urban transport environment and for establishing action strategies for transport and traffic problems.The topics covered in this book include: Environmental impact; Environmentally friendly transport modes; Public transport systems; Transport modelling and simulation; Urban transport management; Transport safety and security; Infrastructure; Land use and transport integration.