Rocío Cascajo

Assessment of innovative measures implemented in European bus systems using key performance indicators

This paper reports the results of the assessment of a range of measures implemented in bus systems in five European cities to improve the use of public transport by increasing its attractiveness and enhancing its image in urban areas. This research was conducted as part of the EBSF project (European Bus System of the Future) from 2008 to 2012. New buses (prototypes), new vehicle and infrastructure technologies, and operational best practices were introduced, all of which were combined in a system approach. The measures were assessed using multicriteria analysis to simultaneously evaluate a certain number of criteria that need to be aggregated. Each criterion is measured by one or more key performance indicators (KPI) calculated in two scenarios (reference scenario, with no measure implemented; and project scenario, with the implementation of some measures), in order to evaluate the difference in the KPI performance between the reference and project scenario. The results indicate that the measures produce a greater benefit in issues related to bus system productivity and customer satisfaction, with the greatest impact on aspects of perceptions of comfort, cleanliness and quality of service, information to passengers and environmental issues. The study also reveals that the implementation of several measures has greater social utility than very specific and isolated measures.

QUALITY OF BUS SERVICES PERFORMANCE: BENEFITS OF REAL TIME PASSENGER INFORMATION SYSTEMS

One of the main problems in urban areas is the steady growth in car ownership and traffic levels. Therefore, the challenge of sustainability is focused on a shift of the demand for mobility from cars to collective means of transport. For this purpose, buses are a key element of the public transport systems. In this respect Real Time Passenger Information (RTPI) systems help people change their travel behaviour towards more sustainable transport modes. This paper provides an assessment methodology which evaluates how RTPI systems improve the quality of bus services performance in two European cities, Madrid and Bremerhaven. In the case of Madrid, bus punctuality has increased by 3%. Regarding the travellers perception, Madrid raised its quality of service by 6% while Bremerhaven increased by 13%. On the other hand, the users´ perception of Public Transport (PT) image increased by 14%.

Measuring Negative Synergies of Urban Sprawl and Economic Crisis over Public Transport Efficiency: The Case of Spain

Sustainable urban mobility requires accessible and demand attractive public transport (PT) networks. However, urban sprawl has been the main characterizing growth pattern of European cities since 1950. In these increasingly dispersed cities, PT is facing increasing problems of efficiency to compete with cars. The sprawling cities are dominated by car use, especially in the peripheral areas. Moreover, Europe is still reeling under the financial crisis, which first hit the continent in 2007. In this context of economic crisis, the lack of financing resources and the declining demand for PT have further weakened the PT systems in European cities. This study considered the urban PT systems of six Spanish cities in order to determine their evolution over the last ten years. This evolution is examined in the backdrop of urban sprawl and economic crisis. The analysis is based on several indicators meant to measure PT demand, supply, and efficiency. The study shows how did each city react to the lack of resources and trip reduction during the economic crisis, by adopting different PT management strategies. The differences in reaction produced different results, but none of the cities could avoid the loss of PT efficiency. The results indicate that policy strategies need to include land use and transport measures to achieve more sustainable PT systems. Only integrated strategies could improve PT efficiency and quality levels and contribute toward increasing competitiveness of PT, even in adverse contexts.