Trel, E. and D.M. van de Velde (2008), “Benchmarking municipal public transport operators in the Netherlands”, European Transport Conference, October 2008. This paper presents the results of a study conducted to benchmark the performances of the municipally-owned public transport operators of Amsterdam, Rotterdam and The Hague in the Netherlands. The study, commissioned by the Dutch Ministry of Transport, compares the performances of the operators in terms of quality and efficiency and their steps towards more ‘market conformity’.
This document discusses tests that should be applied in evaluating the final business case for HS2. It recommends examining alternative demand scenarios, pricing policies, using updated values of time in the analysis, employing a land use and transport interaction model to study location impacts, and considering alternatives to HS2 such as upgrading existing infrastructure or restricting speeds to 300 kmph. However, the conclusion is that there is no reason to suppose the overall conclusions supporting HS2 would change as a result of applying these additional tests to the analysis.
This document provides recommendations for estimating transport congestion and scarcity costs to implement efficient pricing based on social marginal cost. For road transport, it recommends using traffic simulation models to estimate the impact of additional vehicles on journey times and unreliability for other traffic. Where models are unavailable, it suggests using link-based speed-flow relationships. For rail transport, it states that the major issue is scarcity value of slots when capacity is reached, and that negotiation between infrastructure managers and operators is the most practical way to estimate these values. It also provides guidance on monetizing the effects of congestion and scarcity through values of travel time and vehicle operating costs.
The application of long run incremental cost model in theAlexander Decker
This study examines the application of the Long Run Incremental Cost (LRIC) model in the Jordanian
telecommunications industry and its impact on the financial performance of telecom companies. The study analyzes
financial data from Zain and Orange telecom before and after the implementation of the LRIC model. The findings
show that Zain witnessed growth in key financial metrics like customers, revenue, and profits after adopting the
LRIC model. However, Orange saw declines in several financial ratios and decreases in revenue and earnings after
the LRIC model was applied. The study concludes that while the LRIC model appeared to support improved
financial performance for Zain, it did not have the same
Railways are undergoing major industry changes with management and business planning at the forefront that encompasses operational, customer and intermodal competition issues with innovative technologies removing earlier barriers. The presentation highlights trends in engineering, operations, stations design, passengers’ expectations and ticketing & collection while touching on issues like network capacity, demand forecasting & fare policies.
Presentation by Richard Bickers & Phil White, Arup Engineering.
Delivered to postgraduate students at the Institute for Transport Studies, University of Leeds, February 2015. Copyright Arup 2015 all rights reserved.
This document discusses current trends and opportunities in supply chain and real estate optimization. It begins by noting the economic downturn and constraints on capital, as well as rising fuel and energy costs. Companies are increasingly competing through their supply chains. The document then discusses supply chain management and the various entities involved. It notes how fuel costs have increased exponentially relative to real estate costs, forcing changes in transportation networks. Various modal options like trucks, rail, air and water are discussed. The concept of network optimization and developing flexible strategies is covered. The importance of fully coordinating supply chain and facility strategies is emphasized.
This document summarizes a research paper that evaluates the efficiency of public transportation systems in larger cities using data envelopment analysis (DEA). Four DEA models are used to measure efficiency based on services used and space used. The analysis finds that medium-sized European cities like Bern, Munich, Prague and Zurich demonstrate high efficiency. Mega-cities perform poorly in models measuring efficiency of services used. Lowest performance is seen in some Spanish cities, Athens, and cities in the Middle East and North America. Regression analysis also found higher DEA efficiency results in lower private car usage in large cities. The research is limited by only using 2001 data and being limited to the DEA method.
This document proposes introducing competition to long distance passenger rail in the UK to improve service and lower costs. It argues competition between multiple operators on the same routes would lead to lower fares, more services, service quality improvements, and more ridership while increasing total industry revenue. The proposal is to have at least two train operating companies running alternating services on all long distance routes, using "Pure Market Pricing" to set fares dynamically based on demand to appeal to more customers. Evidence from other countries that implemented rail competition shows lower average fares, more trains, and increased ridership and revenue for the rail industry.
This document discusses tests that should be applied in evaluating the final business case for HS2. It recommends examining alternative demand scenarios, pricing policies, using updated values of time in the analysis, employing a land use and transport interaction model to study location impacts, and considering alternatives to HS2 such as upgrading existing infrastructure or restricting speeds to 300 kmph. However, the conclusion is that there is no reason to suppose the overall conclusions supporting HS2 would change as a result of applying these additional tests to the analysis.
This document provides recommendations for estimating transport congestion and scarcity costs to implement efficient pricing based on social marginal cost. For road transport, it recommends using traffic simulation models to estimate the impact of additional vehicles on journey times and unreliability for other traffic. Where models are unavailable, it suggests using link-based speed-flow relationships. For rail transport, it states that the major issue is scarcity value of slots when capacity is reached, and that negotiation between infrastructure managers and operators is the most practical way to estimate these values. It also provides guidance on monetizing the effects of congestion and scarcity through values of travel time and vehicle operating costs.
The application of long run incremental cost model in theAlexander Decker
This study examines the application of the Long Run Incremental Cost (LRIC) model in the Jordanian
telecommunications industry and its impact on the financial performance of telecom companies. The study analyzes
financial data from Zain and Orange telecom before and after the implementation of the LRIC model. The findings
show that Zain witnessed growth in key financial metrics like customers, revenue, and profits after adopting the
LRIC model. However, Orange saw declines in several financial ratios and decreases in revenue and earnings after
the LRIC model was applied. The study concludes that while the LRIC model appeared to support improved
financial performance for Zain, it did not have the same
Railways are undergoing major industry changes with management and business planning at the forefront that encompasses operational, customer and intermodal competition issues with innovative technologies removing earlier barriers. The presentation highlights trends in engineering, operations, stations design, passengers’ expectations and ticketing & collection while touching on issues like network capacity, demand forecasting & fare policies.
Presentation by Richard Bickers & Phil White, Arup Engineering.
Delivered to postgraduate students at the Institute for Transport Studies, University of Leeds, February 2015. Copyright Arup 2015 all rights reserved.
This document discusses current trends and opportunities in supply chain and real estate optimization. It begins by noting the economic downturn and constraints on capital, as well as rising fuel and energy costs. Companies are increasingly competing through their supply chains. The document then discusses supply chain management and the various entities involved. It notes how fuel costs have increased exponentially relative to real estate costs, forcing changes in transportation networks. Various modal options like trucks, rail, air and water are discussed. The concept of network optimization and developing flexible strategies is covered. The importance of fully coordinating supply chain and facility strategies is emphasized.
This document summarizes a research paper that evaluates the efficiency of public transportation systems in larger cities using data envelopment analysis (DEA). Four DEA models are used to measure efficiency based on services used and space used. The analysis finds that medium-sized European cities like Bern, Munich, Prague and Zurich demonstrate high efficiency. Mega-cities perform poorly in models measuring efficiency of services used. Lowest performance is seen in some Spanish cities, Athens, and cities in the Middle East and North America. Regression analysis also found higher DEA efficiency results in lower private car usage in large cities. The research is limited by only using 2001 data and being limited to the DEA method.
This document proposes introducing competition to long distance passenger rail in the UK to improve service and lower costs. It argues competition between multiple operators on the same routes would lead to lower fares, more services, service quality improvements, and more ridership while increasing total industry revenue. The proposal is to have at least two train operating companies running alternating services on all long distance routes, using "Pure Market Pricing" to set fares dynamically based on demand to appeal to more customers. Evidence from other countries that implemented rail competition shows lower average fares, more trains, and increased ridership and revenue for the rail industry.
[Open Engineering] Airlines Performance and Eflciency Evaluation%0Ausing a MC...Miguel Beirão Miranda
This document presents a study that uses a multi-criteria decision analysis (MCDA) methodology to evaluate the performance and efficiency of different airline carriers. Specifically, it analyzes six European airlines, including both legacy carriers and low-cost carriers, across four key performance areas: transport performance, business performance, personnel performance, and environmental performance. Key performance indicators are identified for each area and weights are assigned through expert input. The MCDA tool MACBETH is then used to score the airlines based on their data for the indicators, allowing comparison of efficiency across carriers. The results show low-cost carriers generally achieving higher scores for transport performance due to higher passenger volumes, load factors, and available seat kilometers.
The document discusses progressing towards fair and efficient transport pricing in the European Union. It outlines several upcoming Commission proposals and studies that aim to better internalize external costs, especially for road transport. These initiatives include revising legislation around road tolls and vehicle taxes to further cost internalization policies. The Commission intends to carefully consider introducing elements of efficient pricing strategies in these proposals, while balancing internal market functions and complementary measures.
Posters summarizing dissertation research projects to date, presented by MA and MSc students at the Institute for Transport Studies (ITS), University of Leeds, May 2014.
on.fb.me/1oSvcMT
www.its.leeds.ac.uk/courses/masters/dissertation
This document discusses transport externalities such as congestion, accidents, and air pollution costs and proposes pricing policies to better align prices with real transport costs. It notes that these externalities currently cost the EU around 250 billion euros annually, with over 90% related to road transport. The document explores using price signals through measures like road tolls and differentiated taxes to reduce negative impacts while making the transport system more efficient and fair. It argues for a community-wide discussion to ensure consistency across policies set at national and EU levels.
The need for a multi-faceted appraisal framework for major public transport i...Tristan Wiggill
A presentation by transport economist, Andrew Marsay, delivered at the i-Transport UATP Conference and Exhibition held at the Sandton Convention Centre, 20 June 2018.
Webinar: Cost Efficiency under Negotiated Performance-Based Contracts and Ben...BRTCoE
This document provides an overview of a webinar discussing evidence from Australia on the cost efficiency of negotiated performance-based contracts (NPBCs) versus competitive tendering (CT) for bus services. The following key points are made:
- Analysis of Australian data found median net cost per km was lower under NPBCs ($4.97/km) than CT ($5.12/km), indicating NPBCs can achieve similar or better cost efficiency outcomes than CT.
- Properly implemented benchmarking under NPBCs, which includes performance targets to improve cost efficiency over time, has the potential to achieve equal or greater gains than CT.
- The claimed cost savings from moving to CT in Sydney
Guest presentation to the Institute for Transport Studies by Keith Buchan, Policy Director of the Transport Planning Society (TPS), 12th November 2014
Keith Buchan outlines what the Transport Planning Society would like to see included in a transport manifesto for the new Government which will be elected in 2015.
Keith Buchan, is the Policy Director of the Transport Planning Society. He has been an Executive Director of Metropolitan Transport Research Unit (MTRU), an independent transport planning consultancy, since 1989. Prior to that he worked for local authorities, including the Greater London Council where he was responsible for implementing the Night and Weekend Lorry Ban. His work has included objectives led assessment, traffic restraint, ‘new generation’ bus priority, demand responsive transport and heavy vehicle studies. Keith recently completed a draft UK strategy to reduce carbon emissions from transport including aviation and shipping. He was a Government adviser for the 1997 national road traffic forecasts (NRTF) that were part of the original NATA in 1998, and is a member of the advisory group now working on the NATA Refresh.
This document provides an overview of a study examining the potential for a flexible transport system called VPATS (Variable Price and Attribute Transport System) to better meet transport needs, especially for disadvantaged groups. Key points:
- VPATS would allow transport attributes like availability, journey time and exclusivity of use to vary based on willingness to pay, providing integrated services at low cost.
- Existing transport often fails to serve changing travel patterns and some groups' needs. VPATS could improve access to jobs, services and social opportunities.
- The study will consider evidence on how people respond to transport attributes like fare, availability and comfort to design VPATS scenarios to test operational and implementation feasibility.
The document discusses e-highways, which are highways equipped with overhead power lines that allow heavy trucks to receive electricity and operate as electric vehicles. It outlines the objectives of reducing air pollution and fossil fuel usage. It then provides details on research projects in Germany testing the technical feasibility of electrifying truck systems. It also describes a Scania truck that was the first to drive on a two-kilometer electrified highway section, operating as an electric vehicle when overhead but as a hybrid otherwise. The conclusion states that e-highways could reduce fossil fuel emissions by 80-90% and energy consumption by 50% or more.
This document summarizes changes in the telecommunications market since 2007 and proposes revisions to the European Commission's Recommendation on relevant product and service markets. Key changes include the rise of broadband, mobile devices, and over-the-top applications. By 2015, competition is expected to intensify further from technologies like LTE, fiber upgrades, and cable improvements. The recommendation proposes focusing regulation on broadband access bottlenecks and removing voice markets. It also recommends a three-step process for national regulators to analyze retail competition first before defining wholesale markets and remedies.
The document outlines parking standards for London, including maximum standards for employment, residential, and town centre/retail uses. Public transport accessibility levels (PTALs) should be used to determine appropriate parking levels, with less parking provided in areas of higher accessibility. Employment parking standards range from 1 space per 1,000-1,500 sqm in central London to 1 space per 100-600 sqm in outer London. Residential standards range from 2-1.5 spaces per 4+ bedroom unit to less than 1 space per 1-2 bedroom unit. Town centre parking standards should be more restrictive where PTALs are high to prevent over-provision.
Presentation by Maria Börjesson, Deputy Director Centre for Transport Studies, Royal Institute of Technology, Sweden.
Delivered on 5 March 2014 to an audience of postgraduate students at the Institute for Transport Studies (ITS), University of Leeds
www.its.leeds.ac.uk/courses/masters/externalseminars
1) While some transport planning policies and ideas can transfer between developed and developing nations, direct transfers often fail due to differences in land use, travel behavior, data availability, and decision-making processes.
2) Urban transport planning models used in developed nations typically assume homogeneous land use and focus only on motorized congestion, neglecting important non-motorized and informal transit in developing cities.
3) Rural transport policies also differ greatly, as developing nation policies emphasize links between transport and agriculture as well as participatory community engagement, while developed nation policies focus more on accessibility and mobility issues.
International Journal of Engineering Research and Development (IJERD)IJERD Editor
journal publishing, how to publish research paper, Call For research paper, international journal, publishing a paper, IJERD, journal of science and technology, how to get a research paper published, publishing a paper, publishing of journal, publishing of research paper, reserach and review articles, IJERD Journal, How to publish your research paper, publish research paper, open access engineering journal, Engineering journal, Mathemetics journal, Physics journal, Chemistry journal, Computer Engineering, Computer Science journal, how to submit your paper, peer reviw journal, indexed journal, reserach and review articles, engineering journal, www.ijerd.com, research journals,
yahoo journals, bing journals, International Journal of Engineering Research and Development, google journals, hard copy of journal
Camila Balbontin - Do preferences for BRT and LRT change as a voter, citizen,...BRTCoE
Camila Balbontin is a Postgraduate Research Fellow at the Institute of Transport and Logistics Studies (ITLS) of University of Sydney. In February 2018, she completed her PhD under the supervision of Professor David Hensher where she focused on integrating decision heuristics and behavioural refinements into travel choice models. She was awarded the ITLS prize for Research Excellence in Transport or Logistics 2017. Camila also holds a bachelor degree in the field of Civil Engineering with a diploma in Industrial Engineering and in Transportation and Logistics from Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile. She did her MSc degree at the same university under the supervision of Professor Juan de Dios Ortúzar. Her MSc thesis estimated the valuation of households and neighbourhood attributes in the centre of Santiago.
As a Postgraduate Research Fellow, her main focus is choice modelling and travel behaviour. She is currently working on projects related to the BRT Centre of Excellence, business location decisions, hybrid modelling, value uplift, among others.
Working Paper - http://sydney.edu.au/business/itls/research/publications/working_papers
Pankaj Handique is a lead financial modeller at Hitachi Rail Europe responsible for putting together financial offers on rolling stock and maintenance bids. He has in-depth knowledge of the rail industry from passenger demand forecasting to pricing trains and maintenance. With excellent communication skills, he helps inform decision making through financial analysis and presentations. He has an easy going nature that facilitates effective cross-departmental work.
This document compares public-private partnership (PPP) contracts and cost-plus contracts for infrastructure projects. It summarizes the key risks allocated to the concessionaire and granting authority for a PPP road project case study. For the PPP contract, risks like land acquisition delays, operation and maintenance failures, and traffic revenue shortfalls are allocated to the concessionaire, while risks like changes of scope, competing roads, and political risks are allocated to the granting authority. For a cost-plus contract case study, risks related to natural disasters, design defects, and late payments are borne by the granting authority, while delays in payment are the concessionaire's responsibility. The document analyzes costs, revenues and risks in detail to compare the
CER is an organization that represents 78 rail operators and infrastructure managers from across Europe. Dr. Libor Lochman, the Executive Director of CER, gave a presentation on the future of rail development in Southeast Europe. He argued that high quality rail corridors must be prioritized and form an alternative network. Investment in rail infrastructure will trigger increased demand for rail transport. However, rail needs a level playing field with road transport regarding access to infrastructure, taxation, and internalization of external costs. The key elements for sustainable rail development are high quality infrastructure, an intermodal level playing field, and enabling intramodal competition.
La ley modifica el Código de Edificación de la Ciudad de Buenos Aires para mejorar la accesibilidad física para personas con discapacidad o necesidades especiales en edificios residenciales y públicos. Se definen términos relacionados a la accesibilidad y se modifican artículos del Código para exigir el cumplimiento de normas de accesibilidad universal.
The document summarizes the results of a survey conducted by Standard Register in October 2014 about how organizations manage the customer experience and journey to building trust. Some key findings include: 1) The top three methods for measuring customer satisfaction are customer service center feedback, online surveys, and social listening; 2) A quarter of organizations have no formal program for managing the entire customer lifecycle; 3) Over half of organizations lack a 360-degree view of their customers.
[Open Engineering] Airlines Performance and Eflciency Evaluation%0Ausing a MC...Miguel Beirão Miranda
This document presents a study that uses a multi-criteria decision analysis (MCDA) methodology to evaluate the performance and efficiency of different airline carriers. Specifically, it analyzes six European airlines, including both legacy carriers and low-cost carriers, across four key performance areas: transport performance, business performance, personnel performance, and environmental performance. Key performance indicators are identified for each area and weights are assigned through expert input. The MCDA tool MACBETH is then used to score the airlines based on their data for the indicators, allowing comparison of efficiency across carriers. The results show low-cost carriers generally achieving higher scores for transport performance due to higher passenger volumes, load factors, and available seat kilometers.
The document discusses progressing towards fair and efficient transport pricing in the European Union. It outlines several upcoming Commission proposals and studies that aim to better internalize external costs, especially for road transport. These initiatives include revising legislation around road tolls and vehicle taxes to further cost internalization policies. The Commission intends to carefully consider introducing elements of efficient pricing strategies in these proposals, while balancing internal market functions and complementary measures.
Posters summarizing dissertation research projects to date, presented by MA and MSc students at the Institute for Transport Studies (ITS), University of Leeds, May 2014.
on.fb.me/1oSvcMT
www.its.leeds.ac.uk/courses/masters/dissertation
This document discusses transport externalities such as congestion, accidents, and air pollution costs and proposes pricing policies to better align prices with real transport costs. It notes that these externalities currently cost the EU around 250 billion euros annually, with over 90% related to road transport. The document explores using price signals through measures like road tolls and differentiated taxes to reduce negative impacts while making the transport system more efficient and fair. It argues for a community-wide discussion to ensure consistency across policies set at national and EU levels.
The need for a multi-faceted appraisal framework for major public transport i...Tristan Wiggill
A presentation by transport economist, Andrew Marsay, delivered at the i-Transport UATP Conference and Exhibition held at the Sandton Convention Centre, 20 June 2018.
Webinar: Cost Efficiency under Negotiated Performance-Based Contracts and Ben...BRTCoE
This document provides an overview of a webinar discussing evidence from Australia on the cost efficiency of negotiated performance-based contracts (NPBCs) versus competitive tendering (CT) for bus services. The following key points are made:
- Analysis of Australian data found median net cost per km was lower under NPBCs ($4.97/km) than CT ($5.12/km), indicating NPBCs can achieve similar or better cost efficiency outcomes than CT.
- Properly implemented benchmarking under NPBCs, which includes performance targets to improve cost efficiency over time, has the potential to achieve equal or greater gains than CT.
- The claimed cost savings from moving to CT in Sydney
Guest presentation to the Institute for Transport Studies by Keith Buchan, Policy Director of the Transport Planning Society (TPS), 12th November 2014
Keith Buchan outlines what the Transport Planning Society would like to see included in a transport manifesto for the new Government which will be elected in 2015.
Keith Buchan, is the Policy Director of the Transport Planning Society. He has been an Executive Director of Metropolitan Transport Research Unit (MTRU), an independent transport planning consultancy, since 1989. Prior to that he worked for local authorities, including the Greater London Council where he was responsible for implementing the Night and Weekend Lorry Ban. His work has included objectives led assessment, traffic restraint, ‘new generation’ bus priority, demand responsive transport and heavy vehicle studies. Keith recently completed a draft UK strategy to reduce carbon emissions from transport including aviation and shipping. He was a Government adviser for the 1997 national road traffic forecasts (NRTF) that were part of the original NATA in 1998, and is a member of the advisory group now working on the NATA Refresh.
This document provides an overview of a study examining the potential for a flexible transport system called VPATS (Variable Price and Attribute Transport System) to better meet transport needs, especially for disadvantaged groups. Key points:
- VPATS would allow transport attributes like availability, journey time and exclusivity of use to vary based on willingness to pay, providing integrated services at low cost.
- Existing transport often fails to serve changing travel patterns and some groups' needs. VPATS could improve access to jobs, services and social opportunities.
- The study will consider evidence on how people respond to transport attributes like fare, availability and comfort to design VPATS scenarios to test operational and implementation feasibility.
The document discusses e-highways, which are highways equipped with overhead power lines that allow heavy trucks to receive electricity and operate as electric vehicles. It outlines the objectives of reducing air pollution and fossil fuel usage. It then provides details on research projects in Germany testing the technical feasibility of electrifying truck systems. It also describes a Scania truck that was the first to drive on a two-kilometer electrified highway section, operating as an electric vehicle when overhead but as a hybrid otherwise. The conclusion states that e-highways could reduce fossil fuel emissions by 80-90% and energy consumption by 50% or more.
This document summarizes changes in the telecommunications market since 2007 and proposes revisions to the European Commission's Recommendation on relevant product and service markets. Key changes include the rise of broadband, mobile devices, and over-the-top applications. By 2015, competition is expected to intensify further from technologies like LTE, fiber upgrades, and cable improvements. The recommendation proposes focusing regulation on broadband access bottlenecks and removing voice markets. It also recommends a three-step process for national regulators to analyze retail competition first before defining wholesale markets and remedies.
The document outlines parking standards for London, including maximum standards for employment, residential, and town centre/retail uses. Public transport accessibility levels (PTALs) should be used to determine appropriate parking levels, with less parking provided in areas of higher accessibility. Employment parking standards range from 1 space per 1,000-1,500 sqm in central London to 1 space per 100-600 sqm in outer London. Residential standards range from 2-1.5 spaces per 4+ bedroom unit to less than 1 space per 1-2 bedroom unit. Town centre parking standards should be more restrictive where PTALs are high to prevent over-provision.
Presentation by Maria Börjesson, Deputy Director Centre for Transport Studies, Royal Institute of Technology, Sweden.
Delivered on 5 March 2014 to an audience of postgraduate students at the Institute for Transport Studies (ITS), University of Leeds
www.its.leeds.ac.uk/courses/masters/externalseminars
1) While some transport planning policies and ideas can transfer between developed and developing nations, direct transfers often fail due to differences in land use, travel behavior, data availability, and decision-making processes.
2) Urban transport planning models used in developed nations typically assume homogeneous land use and focus only on motorized congestion, neglecting important non-motorized and informal transit in developing cities.
3) Rural transport policies also differ greatly, as developing nation policies emphasize links between transport and agriculture as well as participatory community engagement, while developed nation policies focus more on accessibility and mobility issues.
International Journal of Engineering Research and Development (IJERD)IJERD Editor
journal publishing, how to publish research paper, Call For research paper, international journal, publishing a paper, IJERD, journal of science and technology, how to get a research paper published, publishing a paper, publishing of journal, publishing of research paper, reserach and review articles, IJERD Journal, How to publish your research paper, publish research paper, open access engineering journal, Engineering journal, Mathemetics journal, Physics journal, Chemistry journal, Computer Engineering, Computer Science journal, how to submit your paper, peer reviw journal, indexed journal, reserach and review articles, engineering journal, www.ijerd.com, research journals,
yahoo journals, bing journals, International Journal of Engineering Research and Development, google journals, hard copy of journal
Camila Balbontin - Do preferences for BRT and LRT change as a voter, citizen,...BRTCoE
Camila Balbontin is a Postgraduate Research Fellow at the Institute of Transport and Logistics Studies (ITLS) of University of Sydney. In February 2018, she completed her PhD under the supervision of Professor David Hensher where she focused on integrating decision heuristics and behavioural refinements into travel choice models. She was awarded the ITLS prize for Research Excellence in Transport or Logistics 2017. Camila also holds a bachelor degree in the field of Civil Engineering with a diploma in Industrial Engineering and in Transportation and Logistics from Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile. She did her MSc degree at the same university under the supervision of Professor Juan de Dios Ortúzar. Her MSc thesis estimated the valuation of households and neighbourhood attributes in the centre of Santiago.
As a Postgraduate Research Fellow, her main focus is choice modelling and travel behaviour. She is currently working on projects related to the BRT Centre of Excellence, business location decisions, hybrid modelling, value uplift, among others.
Working Paper - http://sydney.edu.au/business/itls/research/publications/working_papers
Pankaj Handique is a lead financial modeller at Hitachi Rail Europe responsible for putting together financial offers on rolling stock and maintenance bids. He has in-depth knowledge of the rail industry from passenger demand forecasting to pricing trains and maintenance. With excellent communication skills, he helps inform decision making through financial analysis and presentations. He has an easy going nature that facilitates effective cross-departmental work.
This document compares public-private partnership (PPP) contracts and cost-plus contracts for infrastructure projects. It summarizes the key risks allocated to the concessionaire and granting authority for a PPP road project case study. For the PPP contract, risks like land acquisition delays, operation and maintenance failures, and traffic revenue shortfalls are allocated to the concessionaire, while risks like changes of scope, competing roads, and political risks are allocated to the granting authority. For a cost-plus contract case study, risks related to natural disasters, design defects, and late payments are borne by the granting authority, while delays in payment are the concessionaire's responsibility. The document analyzes costs, revenues and risks in detail to compare the
CER is an organization that represents 78 rail operators and infrastructure managers from across Europe. Dr. Libor Lochman, the Executive Director of CER, gave a presentation on the future of rail development in Southeast Europe. He argued that high quality rail corridors must be prioritized and form an alternative network. Investment in rail infrastructure will trigger increased demand for rail transport. However, rail needs a level playing field with road transport regarding access to infrastructure, taxation, and internalization of external costs. The key elements for sustainable rail development are high quality infrastructure, an intermodal level playing field, and enabling intramodal competition.
La ley modifica el Código de Edificación de la Ciudad de Buenos Aires para mejorar la accesibilidad física para personas con discapacidad o necesidades especiales en edificios residenciales y públicos. Se definen términos relacionados a la accesibilidad y se modifican artículos del Código para exigir el cumplimiento de normas de accesibilidad universal.
The document summarizes the results of a survey conducted by Standard Register in October 2014 about how organizations manage the customer experience and journey to building trust. Some key findings include: 1) The top three methods for measuring customer satisfaction are customer service center feedback, online surveys, and social listening; 2) A quarter of organizations have no formal program for managing the entire customer lifecycle; 3) Over half of organizations lack a 360-degree view of their customers.
Este documento presenta el Código de Edificación de la Ciudad Autónoma de Buenos Aires. Establece las generalidades y definiciones aplicables, así como las secciones referidas a tramitaciones, proyectos, ejecución y disposiciones varias de obras. El código tiene como objetivo regular la construcción y modificación de edificios e instalaciones en la ciudad de forma segura y armónica.
European Practices in Organising Public TransportEric Trel
This document discusses best practices in organizing public transport in European cities. It finds that the optimal model involves a mix of public and private operators overseen by a public transport authority (PTA). The PTA is responsible for integrated planning, contracting services, managing infrastructure, and developing new systems. Competitive tendering of contracts stimulates innovation and offers best value. Fare and ticket integration across modes, using smart cards, facilitates use of public transport. Case studies of Madrid and Oslo show how they have implemented this model.
Luiz Guilherme is a 14-year-old boy who created a scrapbook about himself. He describes his physical characteristics like having brown eyes and black hair. He notes that he is internally focused, confident but shy around new people, and very independent. Luiz has a happy family with one sister, and his best friend is Maria Eduarda. His hobbies include listening to music, reading books, watching TV, taking pictures, and spending time with friends. While he doesn't play sports, he enjoys watching basketball games and swimming. His favorite team is Corinthians, and he prefers rock music to other genres.
Are you ready for a 2014 USPS Rate Increase of up to 5.97%? Check out the Standard Register Fact Sheet for detailed info and see good news. Get started today.
The Journey to Trust™ - A Survey on Trends in Managing the Customer ExperienceStandard Register
How is your company managing the customer experience? We asked our clients how they were monitoring and managing their customers’ preferences and data. Here’s what they told us...
Finalised Compiled Report For SubmissionTan Valentine
This document provides a final report for a design project on a benzene production plant via toluene hydrodealkylation. The report details the three phases of the project: process simulation and kinetics validation, identification and optimization of design variables to minimize cost, and heat integration and re-optimization for reduced production. Key outcomes include an optimized design with a annual benzene production of 100,000 tons and purity of 99.99% at minimum cost. Additional analysis on methane reduction further lowered costs. The report concludes the project met specifications and critical design parameters were optimized to provide an efficient benzene production process.
Public transport regulation and contractingEric Trel
How can a transport authority organise efficient and affordable public transport? Presentation on public transport regulation and contracting, including institutional framework, financial arrangements and different types of contracts. Presented as part of a UITP training programme for public transport experts, Johannesburg, October 2014.
A lean and flexible BRT concept - the Kampala caseEric Trel
Uganda decided to develop a BRT for its capital city Kampala, to be financed by the World Bank. ROM, Arup and AH developed a lean and flexible concept that fits to local conditions and made the design for the BRT pilot corridor. The concept minimises land acquisition and minimises the need for operational subsidy. Presentation made at the UATP conference in Johannesburg, October 2014.
Justin jenk theory and practice taxi wars uber_ raktas_case study_march 2015jjenk
This document provides a synthetic assessment of the strategies and action of the leading players in the mobile app taxi/rideshare/hailing segment, part of the larger taxi industry – city based and regulated. The contents of this thought paper reflect the work Raktas has provided to relevant decision-makers in the industry.
Charging Ahead | Making Road User Pricing WorkTexxi Global
The document summarizes the findings of a feasibility study examining the potential for implementing road user charging schemes in three UK cities: London, Bristol, and Leeds. It considers options for scheme design, including paper permits, video-readable permits, and electronic schemes using dedicated short-range communications. Cost-benefit analyses indicate that road user charging schemes could generate substantial funds for local transport improvements in all three cities, ranging from £140-740 million over 10 years depending on the city and technology. The schemes appear commercially and politically viable, and the report recommends further developing implementation plans and business cases.
This document discusses key performance indicators (KPIs) in large transport companies in Romania. It provides background on the Romanian freight transport market and defines some common operational indicators used, such as the coefficient of use of fleet and the coefficient of utilization during the working day. These indicators measure aspects like the utilization of vehicles and time efficiency. The document examines the applicability and usefulness of KPIs in the transport sector, finding that while Romanian companies recognize their benefits, few actually use performance indicators systematically.
The Impact of Mobility Pricing in Metro Vancouver Akash Behl
Transportation is a vital part of the ecosystem of any urban or non-urban area. With population escalating in Metro Vancouver, the need for efficient transport systems and effective pricing strategies is significant.
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Transport has a major impact on the quality of life in a city, its environment and the economy. Transport Authorities globally are facing similar strategic challenges around worsening congestion, insufficient transport infrastructure, affordability constraints, increasing emissions and growing customer needs...
A New Paradigm in User Equilibrium-Application in Managed Lane PricingCSCJournals
Ineffective use of the High-Occupancy-Vehicle (HOV) lanes has the potential to decrease the overall roadway throughput during peak periods. Excess capacity in HOV lanes during peak periods can be made available to other types of vehicles, including single occupancy vehicles (SOV) for a price (toll). Such dual use lanes are known as “Managed Lanes.” The main purpose of this research is to propose a new paradigm in user equilibrium to predict the travel demand for determining the optimal fare policy for managed lane facilities. Depending on their value of time, motorists may choose to travel on Managed Lanes (ML) or General Purpose Lanes (GPL). In this study, the features in the software called Toll Pricing Modeler version 4.3 (TPM-4.3) are described. TPM-4.3 is developed based on this new user equilibrium concept and utilizes it to examine various operating scenarios. The software has two built-in operating objective options: 1) what would the ML operating speed be for a specified SOV toll, or 2) what should the SOV toll be for a desired minimum ML operating speed. A number of pricing policy scenarios are developed and examined on the proposed managed lane segment on Interstate 30 (I-30) in Grand Prairie, Texas. The software provides quantitative estimates of various factors including toll revenue, emissions and system performance such as person movement and traffic speed on managed and general purpose lanes. Overall, among the scenarios examined, higher toll rates tend to generate higher toll revenues, reduce overall CO and NOx emissions, and shift demand to general purpose lanes. On the other hand, HOV preferential treatments at any given toll level tend to reduce toll revenue, have no impact on or reduce system performance on managed lanes, and increase CO and NOx emissions.
This global and comprehensive report analyses taxi and PHV market in large cities, focused on Paris with complements about London and New York. The study has been realized by Facta, a company specialized in statistical intelligence and economic analysis, at the request of French taxi and PHV professional bodies.
Urban transport exchange hubs play a key role as an integral part of the transport networks by facilitating relations between public transport modes but also have a function in the city urban planning and in-service facilities [1]. Time savings, urban integration, better use of waiting times and improved operating models are some of the expected benefits of developing efficient city-hubs [2,3]. However, although interchanges are crucial for improving accessibility, there are still problems remaining such as seams or bottlenecks, which are mainly reported in the coordination between the different transport modes and the use of the information systems and management model. In order to examine a part of these problems, the three years (September 2012-February 2015) City-HUB consortium of nine European research institutes from nine countries belonging to the European conference of transport research institutes (ECTRI) project studied 27 multimodal interchanges [4].
The document discusses two topics related to transportation in Europe:
1. The EU's proposed Fourth Railway Package, which aims to open domestic passenger rail markets to competition. This has the potential to completely change the competitive landscape of European rail. It will likely drive significant changes for rail owning groups, governments, and regulators, with uncertain outcomes.
2. Trends in mergers and acquisitions (M&A) in the global transportation and logistics sector in 2011 and 2012. M&A activity increased in the first quarter of 2012 and is predicted to accelerate for the rest of the year, driven by large cash reserves, strategic interests in emerging markets, and a need for consolidation. Europe led M&A activity in
1. Social cost-benefit analysis is a systematic method to evaluate all impacts of an urban development project, including financial, social, environmental, and indirect effects. It aims to assign monetary values to assess effects and compare alternatives.
2. Decisio uses social cost-benefit analysis to compare project alternatives and their costs and benefits. Effects are classified as direct, indirect, or external. While some effects can be monetized, others are described qualitatively.
3. Decisio has experience applying social cost-benefit analysis to infrastructure, transportation, energy, and development projects in the Netherlands to evaluate costs, benefits, uncertainties, and impacts on different groups.
1
Intermodal Autonomous Mobility-on-Demand
Mauro Salazar1,2, Nicolas Lanzetti1,2, Federico Rossi2, Maximilian Schiffer2,3, and Marco Pavone2
Abstract—In this paper we study models and coordination poli-
cies for intermodal Autonomous Mobility-on-Demand (AMoD),
wherein a fleet of self-driving vehicles provides on-demand
mobility jointly with public transit. Specifically, we first present
a network flow model for intermodal AMoD, where we capture
the coupling between AMoD and public transit and the goal is
to maximize social welfare. Second, leveraging such a model,
we design a pricing and tolling scheme that allows the system
to recover a social optimum under the assumption of a perfect
market with selfish agents. Third, we present real-world case
studies for the transportation networks of New York City and
Berlin, which allow us to quantify the general benefits of
intermodal AMoD, as well as the societal impact of different
vehicles. In particular, we show that vehicle size and powertrain
type heavily affect intermodal routing decisions and, thus, system
efficiency. Our studies reveal that the cooperation between AMoD
fleets and public transit can yield significant benefits compared
to an AMoD system operating in isolation, whilst our proposed
tolling policies appear to be in line with recent discussions for
the case of New York City.
I. INTRODUCTION
TRAFFIC congestion is soaring all around the world. Besidesmere discomfort for passengers, congestion causes severe
economic and environmental harm, e.g., due to the loss of
working hours and pollutant emissions such as CO2, partic-
ulate matter, and NOx [1]. In 2013, traffic congestion cost
U.S. citizens 124 Billion USD [2]. Notably, transportation
remains one of a few sectors in which emissions are still
increasing [3]. Governments and municipalities are struggling
to find sustainable ways of transportation that can match
mobility needs and reduce environmental harm as well as
congestion.
To achieve sustainable modes of transportation, new mobil-
ity concepts and technology changes are necessary. However,
the potential to realize such concepts in urban environments is
limited, since upgrades to available infrastructures (e.g., roads
and subway lines) and their capacity are often extremely costly
and require decades-long planning timelines. Thus, mobility
concepts that use existing infrastructure in a more efficient way
are especially attractive. In this course, mobility-on-demand
services appear to be particularly promising. Herein, two main
concepts exist. On the one hand, free floating car sharing
systems strive to reduce the total number of private vehicles
in city centers. However, these systems offer limited flexibility
and are generally characterized by low adoption rates that
result from low vehicle availabilities due to the difficulty of
1Institute for Dynamic Systems and Control ETH Zürich, Zurich (ZH),
Switzerland {samauro,lnicolas}@ethz.ch
2Department of Aeronautics and Astro.
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These considerations mean that governments inevitably take a broader view when determining road user taxes and those strict efficiency criteria are often not adhered to.
Bangladesh is Riverine County and the water transport is cheaper than road and railway. Bangladesh can encourage river transport with tax balance between user taxes on all modes of transport systems.
The recent focus on how to internalize the external costs of commuting have open a frontier of researches in estimating the private cost of commuting, however, there is still the dearth of knowledge on what constitute social cost of transportation in developing countries. This study estimates the private costs of commuting in Metropolitan Lagos. Data were collected on the socio-economic characteristics of commuting households (income, wages, modal choice,
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Benchmarking municipal public transport operators in the netherlands
1. BENCHMARKING MUNICIPAL PUBLIC TRANSPORT OPERATORS IN
THE NETHERLANDS
Eric Trel
inno-V, Amsterdam
Didier van de Velde
TU Delft, Fac. of Technology, Policy and Management, POLG
and inno-V, Amsterdam
1. INTRODUCTION
This paper presents a summary of the results of a study commissioned by the
Dutch Ministry of Transport (inno-V, 2007) and conducted to benchmark the
performances of the three municipal transport companies of Amsterdam
(GVB), The Hague (HTM) and Rotterdam (RET) in the Netherlands. The
study, which is summarized in this paper covers institutional steps,
organisational reforms and compares production costs. An indication of
remaining potentials for performance improvement is given. The operators
were compared among themselves but also with regional transport that is
already subject to competitive tendering. The comparison includes operating
costs, revenues and customer satisfaction. In addition developments towards
‘market conformity’ and institutional aspects were also studied.
The motive for this benchmarking exercise was the planned introduction of
competitive tendering in urban transport, as is already the case in regional
bus transport. However, after the completion of this benchmark study,
Parliament approved on 5 July 2007 a motion that requests the government to
abolish the tendering obligation for the major cities. While competitive
tendering will remain possible in the urban areas, it is now likely that a variety
of models will appear, the exact place of competitive tendering within these is
still unclear at this moment.
The benchmarking study was realised in close cooperation with the involved
passenger transport authorities and transport operators who delivered the
necessary data. It is the first time that such an extensive cost comparison
between municipal operators was made.
The study uses the concept of ‘market conformity’ which is defined here as:
“reaching a price and quality level similar to what could be reached if the
same services had been submitted to competitive tendering”. ‘Market
conformity’ is not a once-and-for-all benchmark. To be successful in a
competitive market, operators will over and over have to prove their efficiency.
Furthermore, in this relatively new market, price and product are still subject
to change and development. Who wins a concession today can lose one
tomorrow. From this point of view, ‘market conformity’ essentially means that
a company is able to adapt itself effectively and timely to market
developments. Therefore this study focuses on both performances and the
development of performances.
2. In a qualitative section, the study presents the institutional steps and
organisational reforms that operators and authorities have taken between
2000 and 2006 to realise an ‘at arm’s length’ relationships and to reach more
‘market conformity’. In a quantitative section, the study compares the
production costs per timetable-hour (operational costs, excluding
infrastructure management) of each transport operator at the level of single
transport modes (bus, tram or metro). Comparisons are also made with the
regional bus sector that has already been submitted to competitive tendering.
The main points of this study will be presented in this paper.
2. INSTITUTIONAL REFORMS IN THE URBAN PASSENGER TRANSPORT
In this section we present the main institutional steps and organisational
reforms that operators and authorities have taken between 2000 and 2006 to
realise ‘at arm’s length’ relationships and to reach more ‘market conformity’.
The municipalities transferred their former responsibility for public transport to
the City Regions in 1996. This was an essential step in the process of
creating ‘at arm’s length’ relationships in the urban public transport sector.
From then on, the City Regions gradually grew in their new role as public
transport authorities. The City Regions of Amsterdam, Rotterdam and Utrecht
even gained experience in competitive tendering by implementing it in the
sometimes extensive regional (suburban) areas for which they are
responsible.
The continuing discussion about the implementation of competitive tendering
in the urban areas led to continuing delays in the introduction of further
necessary reform measures. Not all City Regions agreed with the idea of
compulsory competitive tendering in the urban areas, some urban
municipalities, though formally not responsible, favoured direct award to the
municipal operator and the personnel of the municipal operators opposed
competitive tendering outright. Nevertheless, an amendment of the Passenger
Transport Act on 1 January 2007 finally fixed the calendar for the compulsory
introduction of competitive tendering in all areas, including the urban areas of
the City Regions of Amsterdam, Rotterdam, The Hague and Utrecht. This
then led to the corporatisation of the GVB and RET and to the privatisation
GVU to Connexxion on 1 January 2007. This created the necessary
conditions for further reforms steps such as an independent financial and
administrative position for the companies involved. The veto right that the
municipality of The Hague and Rotterdam still had pertaining to some
decisions that the City Region could take was finally abolished halfway 2007.
The challenge for GVB, HTM and RET was to reach a market conform price
level such as to be able, in due course, to compete with private operators.
With the privatisation of GVU, its market conformity became Connexxion’s
responsibility. The necessary measures to reach this are essentially related
the productivity of the driving staff and workshops and to the reduction of
overhead costs. This involves a substantial amendment of some working
practices. The three companies started taking steps in that direction, the
consequence of which is already visible in the recent multi-annual agreements
signed with the City Regions. However, it remains difficult to say whether
3. these agreements will prove sufficient to be able to compete successfully with
private competitors, as they too continue to improve their performances.
An additional complexity in these urban networks compared to the situation in
regional public transport is that the municipalities of Amsterdam, Den Haag
and Rotterdam play an essential role as owner of the transport operators, but
also of the rolling stock and rail infrastructure. This means that, if competitive
tendering is to be introduced in the rail sector, contracts between these
municipalities, the operators and possibly third parties (e.g. the City Region as
transport authority) will need to be introduced to arrange for the usage and
maintenance of tracks and rolling stock. This means that these municipalities
will have to develop their asset management skills, including the development
of a monitoring of the condition and life expectancy of the assets at the
beginning, during and at the end of the concessions.
3. QUANTITATIVE COMPARISON AND BEST PRACTICES
3.1 Method
A method based on relative best practices was developed to produce for each
city an indication of the remaining potential for performance improvement. The
extensive qualitative analysis was used as background for an in-depth
interpretation of the quantitative results such as to avoid simplistic conclusions
based on a ‘school marks’ approach.
The comparison of GVB, HTM and RET focuses on costs, revenues and
customer satisfaction. Two comparisons were made:
Comparison of the performances of each company between 2001 and
2005 in order to appreciate developments;
Comparison between the three companies and with regional transport in
order to calculate best practices.
The study compares the production costs per timetable-hour (operational
costs, excluding infrastructure management) of each transport operator at the
level of single transport modes (bus, tram or metro). The cost comparison was
based on the so-called URS which is a Dutch standard of the bookkeeping of
for transport companies. The financial figures for 2001 were corrected for
inflation. As the operation speed has a substantial influence on operational
costs, cost comparisons were based on the costs per timetable-hour. The
costs for ‘social security’ (security enforcement, control staff, patrols, etc.)
were included in the comparison as these cannot be fully separated from
operational costs. All results are presented in the form of index figures as
operators were reluctant to hand over sensitive business information in the
light of a possible future tendering of their concessions. This guarantees the
confidentiality of the source information.
A best practice was then determined for each transport mode (metro, tram,
bus) and each category of costs, i.e. the lowest cost per timetable-hour in the
year 2005. Together, these best practices combine the most efficient
elements of the investigated companies. This best practice is then meant as a
4. benchmark to learn from. Two versions of the best practice benchmark were
calculated:
‘Best 1’ shows the best practice among the three urban companies. Here
we chose the lowest cost per timetable-hour per cost category. The
capacity and kilometer costs of rolling stock were kept together in
determining the best practice as these costs are not independent and are
related to fleet age.
‘Best 2’ is based on ‘Best 1’ but goes one step further: here we based the
costs of drivers on the productivity level reached in regional transport
(submitted to competitive tendering). ‘Productivity’ is defined here as the
number of timetable-hours per driver per year.
The management and maintenance of the rail infrastructure amount to 25 à
40% of the total costs of metro and tram. Unfortunately, the financial
information and accountability of these expenses remains weak. Furthermore,
the relationship between costs and performance (in terms of availability and
reliability) is largely unknown. It was therefore not possible to compare
infrastructure costs between the companies studied.
3.2 Results
In accordance with the scope of the benchmark study, the comparisons made
here refer to:
Metro: GVB and RET
Tram: GVB, HTM and RET
Bus: GVB and competitively tendered concessions of Waterland and
Zaanstreek
In this section, we will only present the results for the tram mode as an
example of the work conducted. We will omit here the presentation of the
similar comparison made for the metro. We will, however, include a
comparison for the bus in which the Amsterdam city bus services are
compared with two regional bus concessions that were subject to competitive
tendering. Also, this section will focus on cost comparisons, omitting the
analysis of customer satisfaction that is included in the wider benchmark
study. The extensive qualitative analysis is used as background for the
interpretation of the quantitative results such as to avoid too simplistic
conclusions based on a ‘school marks’ approach. The next section will
elaborate on the conditions needed to realise the best practices as calculated.
Tram: best practice
We compare the costs per timetable-hour of GVB, HTM and RET in 2005,
including social safety costs but excluding infrastructure. The figure below
shows the cost levels per company, the combination of their best practices
(Best 1) and in addition the combination of Best 1 with the additional
assumption of a driving staff productivity as realized in regional transport
(Best 2).
5. 0
20
40
60
80
100
120
GVB 2005 H TM 2005 RET 2005 best1 best2
Index(bestcompany=100)
etcetera
social security
sales costs
driving personel
kilometer
capacity
Figure 1: Tram: best practice costs per timetable-hour (price level 2005)
HTM and GVB reach in 2005 the lowest costs per hour. Taking HTM as
100%, the costs of GVB amount to the same level, the costs of RET are
around 105%, while those of Best 1 are around 90% and of Best 2 around
80%.
A few remarks are needed in order to interpret these results. Firstly, it should
be noted that the capital costs of rolling stock at GVB and RET have
increased between 2001 and 2005 due to the influx of new vehicles. While the
costs of drivers are highest at HTM in 2005, its productivity is at the same
level as that of GVB and RET. This is possibly due to the salary level at HTM.
Note that in 2006 a new collective labour agreement came into vigour. Finally,
the costs of social safety are substantially higher at GVB and RET than at
HTM. This is related to the chosen safety regime: GVB and RET operate with
dedicated controllers in each vehicle, whereas HTM operates with flying
squads. The former has a greater effect on social safety, whereas the latter is
more cost-effective.
Bus: comparison with concessions submitted to competitive tendering
As explained above, the HTM and RET bus networks remain outside the
scope of this study. We have compared the GVB bus network performances
with the regional bus concessions of Waterland and Zaanstreek, both located
in the territory of the Amsterdam City Region. As no cost data is available for
both these concessions, we use here the gross price (sum of the authority’s
financial contribution by the authority and of the passenger revenue) as a
proxy. This includes, implicitly, the operators’ profit. The next figure presents
the development of the gross price per timetable-hour where the gross price
per timetable-hour for GVB-bus is set at index 100.
6. 0
20
40
60
80
100
120
2004 2005 2006 2007 2008
Index:GVB2004=100
GVB bus
Waterland
Zaanstreek
Figure 2: Bus: index of the development of the gross price per timetable-hour
(price level 2005)
The first year of operation after tendering was 2006 for Waterland and 2005
for Zaanstreek, as can be seen in the graph. Three items have evolved after
the tendering of the regional bus concessions: the number of timetable-hour
rose, the authority’s contribution decreased and the passenger revenues rose.
For GVB-bus we observe a decrease in the authority’s contribution while the
other items remain more or less unchanged.
Note that this comparison is based on prices. The evolution of the true costs
may have followed a different path. It is, e.g., possible that the real costs of an
operator in the first years after tendering are higher than what can be
calculated from the amount in the bid, while these costs could be lower at the
end of the concession. However, we should note that cost decreases of 20 to
25% in contracting prices per timetable-hour are not unusual at the
international level (see, e.g., Copenhagen).
This comparison leads to the following observations:
Competitive tendering of the regional bus concessions led to the
introduction of new buses and a substantial increase in service supply (30-
50%). The operators promised a revenue growth while the authority’s
contribution remained stable. Such developments could not or hardly be
observed for GVB-bus.
Before tendering, the sum of the authority’s contribution and passenger
revenues per timetable-hour in Waterland and Zaanstreek was approx. 5%
resp. 25% lower than that for GVB-bus. After tendering this difference grew
to about 30-40%, despite the larger financial risk borne by the regional
concessions.
However, we also have to observe that the efficiency gains have not been that
large in all regional concessions submitted to competitive tendering in the
Netherlands. The official evaluation of the Passenger Transport Act observed
an average efficiency gain of 15-20% (Twijnstra & Gudde and MuConsult,
2005). Furthermore – though this cannot be proven – it is thinkable that
companies have engaged into so-called ‘strategic bidding’ (i.e. bidding under
the true production costs in order to gain market shares).
7. Despite the improvements made in the urban concession (GVB-bus), the
substantial effects of competitive tendering led to an increase in the efficiency
gap between municipal operators and regional bus operators. Passenger
satisfaction scores also point in this direction.
The difference in gross price per timetable-hour between GVB-bus and
competitively tendered regional bus concessions is mainly caused by a
difference in productivity of the driving staff, which is estimated to be about
20% higher in the regional traffic. To some extent this is due to structural
differences between urban and regional transport and between bus and rail,
but this explains only a small part of the observed difference in productivity.
Differences in collective wage agreements also play a role, but regional
operators also reduced their costs by making substantial cuts in their
overheads. Regional operators have also been able to reduce their costs by
making sharp agreements in vehicle procurement and maintenance. We can
observe that the introduction of competitive tendering in this sector has
indirectly induced more competition and lower prices at the level of suppliers
and maintenance companies.
3.3 Can a ‘best practice’ be realised?
The potential efficiency gains calculated within this research have to be
interpreted with caution. In terms of method, one has to take into account that
a combination of best practices based on cost components could lead to an
underestimation of minimal costs as the various cost components do not have
the same definition within each company. Furthermore there can be cases of
cross-subsidisation. This would lead to an underestimation of the costs for
one modality and to an overestimation of the costs for another. In addition to
this, the companies do not always use the same method to allocate social
safety costs to tram and metro. Despite this, we can still draw the conclusion
that a substantial reduction in costs should be feasible. The question,
however, is under which condition this can be realised.
A best practice is only a benchmark to which one can compare one’s own
performances. But is this level reachable for each operator, at what term and
which parties are needed to realise the necessary conditions for this to
happen? Here are a few examples:
A company can take steps to improve its efficiency, such as higher
productivity and lower overhead. This could involve the amendment of
house-rules and other acquired rights, which could be painful although
necessary. Practice learns that a political and administrative support from
the side of the transport authority is essential to realise this, and that
pressure from potential competition also plays an important role.
The collective wage agreements from the municipal operators differ from
one another and from that of the regional operators. One first step would be
the realisation of a common collective wage agreement for the whole of the
urban transport sector. In due course this could lead to a common
collective wage agreement for the whole sector.
Some issues cannot be influenced by the operator, such as the social
safety regime imposed by the municipality, the traffic management features
of the city and the priority given to public transport in urban traffic. A
8. cooperative stance from both municipalities and City Regions will be
needed for steps to be taken in this direction.
The localisation of rail-related garages and workshops can only be modified
in the long run, needs cooperation from the municipality and could imply
high costs. Changes are much easier and cheaper in the bus sector.
Benchmarking will only truly deliver if the companies involved start to learn
from each other and discover what can be realised and at what term. This
process of learning and improving requires transparency, perseverance and a
business-like relationship between transport authorities and operators that
strikes a balance between soft and hard measures.
For the time being, tensions can be observed as the relationships between
authorities and operators are still in development. This is, e.g., clearly visible
when for the first time a fine is imposed upon an operator. Yet, successful
foreign examples show that success depends upon cooperation and ‘trusted
partnership’ where transparency, business-like behaviour, recognition of each
other’s interests and a search for win-win solutions plays a central role. A lack
of transparency leaves space for distrust and will hamper business-like
behaviour and successful partnership. Transparency is therefore an important
condition for the further development of urban transport.
4. THE DEVELOPMENT OF THE URBAN TRANSPORT
GVB, HTM, RET and GVU have implemented several operational reforms
during the past years. This was first the separation between the role of
authority and the role of operator within the municipality and then the transfer
of the role of authority from the municipality to the City Region. Together with
these reforms, cost reductions of about 10-15% were realised, and these
were needed to realise some of the budget cuts imposed by the former
government. The remaining efficiency gains were spent into an expansion of
the networks (including the maintenance of the corresponding infrastructure)
and the extension of social safety measures. The new directly awarded
concession of GVB, HTM and RET, which started in 2006, are even based
upon further decreases in costs per timetable-hour.
These cost reductions correspond to a reduction in the contribution for
operational costs by the authorities. At the same time, however, the
authorities increased their contributions for costs related to social safety. As a
result, the total authority contributions remained more or less stable, and it is
important to note that the aim of the City Regions was not to reduce its
contribution to public transport, but to achieve as good a public transport
service as possible with the available budget received from central
government.
The companies do not follow the same pace of development. HTM was
already corporatized at the beginning of the process, while RET and GVB
were only corporatized recently and GVU was even privatised. The abolition
of the divisional (metro, tram and bus) structure at GVB and RET was an
important step and the companies have announced that they have taken more
9. steps in 2006 and 2007, the effect of which should become visible in the
coming years.
At the same time we could observe that the regional transport operators have
evolved more quickly under the pressure of competitive tendering. Their
performance was already better before tendering and this difference only
increased after the tendering, despite the improvements booked by the
municipal operators. The competitive tendering of the concessions Waterland
and Zaanstreek have, e.g., led to the introduction of new rolling stock, more
supply and more revenues. Such development could not be witnessed, or not
to the same extent in the urban networks. A difference is also noticeable in
the evolution of the passenger satisfaction scores. While this has risen
throughout the whole country during the past years, it is now slightly higher in
tendered than in non-tendered areas and higher than in the large cities. The
figure below presents, schematically, the difference in development of
performance between the large cities and regional transport.
Efficiency
and quality
2000 2006
Regional operators
Municipal operator
First rounds of
competitive
tendering in
regional transport
Competitive tendering
urban areas originally
planned for 1-1-2007
?
Figure 3: Evolution of performances of urban municipal operators vs. regional
operators (Schematic representation based on team analysis)
5. CONCLUSIONS
5.1 Summary of findings
The municipal companies have achieved cost reductions in the order of
magnitude of 10 to 15% over the period 2000-2006. These improvements
were partially needed to absorb the budget cuts imposed by government. For
the rest, the gains were reinvested into network expansions and improvement
of the social safety. These cost reductions took place against a background of
reduced government subsidies for public transport operations while public
spending for social safety in public transport increased at the same time. In
total, public spending remained more or less stable and the companies
delivered more service for the same amount of subsidy.
10. The clearer separation between the role of authority and operator, together
with the transfer of the role of authority from the municipalities to the City
Regions gave a significant impulse to the creation of a more business-like,
contractual setting.
Regional transport evolved quicker than municipal urban operators in terms of
efficiency and perceived quality. Due to this, the performance gap between
municipal operators and regional operators grew even wider between 2000
and 2006, despite the improvement booked by the municipal operators. The
main causes for this difference in dynamic are the following:
The competitive tendering calendar for the urban network was not fixed
before the beginning of 2007. This influenced the speed with which the
urban operators took measures to become more market-conform.
The regional operators, on the contrary, were already submitted to
competitive tendering for several years. This competition forced them to
develop skills to formulate winning bids and implement measures to realise
these bids and contractual clauses.
In other words: a company will become market-conform through competition
(here through competitive tendering), not before competition. Nevertheless,
municipal operators have indeed taken several steps towards market-
conformity. Meanwhile, the scenery has changed: a motion adopted in
Parliament led to the abolition of the obligation to use competitive tendering in
the major cities. This takes away the pressure to take further steps. Without
the compulsory usage of competition, a benchmark is the only instrument left
to monitor the achievements of these companies.
5.2 Recommendations
The municipal operators could learn from each other and from the regional
operators. Increasing the productivity of the driving staff will require
addressing very touchy issues. They will, besides this, also need to address
the problems caused by the size of their overhead, the efficiency of the
maintenance, the costs for social safety and the costs of new rolling stock.
Rail rolling stock and rail infrastructure will have to be made available to
transport operators if competitive tendering is to be introduced in the urban
rail sector. The authorities will have to develop their role of ‘asset manager’
and ‘leasing company’ to realise this. This will require the measurability of
rolling stock condition and availability and maintenance needs. Furthermore,
the City Regions will need developing their skills in this domain to compensate
for the current lack of information on the costs of management and
maintenance of rail infrastructure.
For a good follow-up, it would be advisable to repeat this benchmarking
exercise every second year and to pay special attention to the management
and maintenance of rail infrastructure and to the costs of social safety. In
addition, good public transport requires a 'trusted partnership' between
authority and operator: business-like, transparent and focussed on the results,
where parties manage to take account of each other’s interests. The
contractual form will play an important role as output and revenue contracts
11. will better fit with such partnership than input and cost contracts. With the
absence of competitive tendering, trusted partnership may be the alternative
way to the further development of the transport companies in the major cities.
In other words: a swing back from the Anglo-Saxon competitive business
model to the Rhineland model that is based on co-operation.
Bibliography
inno-V (2007), Benchmark GVB, HTM, RET en GVU, inno-V (in opdracht van
het ministerie van Verkeer en Waterstaat), Amsterdam.
Twijnstra & Gudde and MuConsult (2005), Evaluatie Wp2000, Eindrapport
functionele en doelmatigheidstoets, Ministerie van Verkeer en Waterstaat,
Den Haag.