TAS Policy Exchange, the think tank that focuses on public policy in passenger transport, has emphasised the importance of partnership working to achieve more efficient and effective local bus services in a new report published on June 17.
The 120-page report, entitled Making Buses Better: An Agenda for Change, states that partnership will deliver services that meet the needs and expectations of passengers and ensure that buses continue to play a key role in meeting the needs of local economies at minimum cost to the public purse.
The report sets out a series of measures by which bus network performance can be assessed, including trips per head of the population, customer satisfaction scores, movements in the ’Time Cost’ of bus journeys, punctuality scores and patronage growth in relation to local economic and demographic conditions.
Launching the report at the ATCO Summer Training Event, TAS Policy Exchange Chairman Chris Cheek said: “The first stage in the process was to go ‘back to basics’ and to consider what bus policy is for.” Members concluded that it was about five main objectives.
“We built them around the bus’s contribution to economic, financial, social and environmental performance, but with customer needs and aspirations at their heart,” Chris explained.
“We urge authorities and operators to sit down together and work out what the priorities for improvement are in their area – and how they can work together to deliver them. Only through closer working together can real progress towards public policy goals be achieved.
“We feel very strongly that an understanding of the importance of time to bus operations is essential. The time taken to make a journey drives mode choice; determines the cost and efficiency of bus networks; and is vital to customer perceptions and satisfaction. Meanwhile, reductions in journey time have a key role in promoting economic efficiency and growth.”
