Guidelines for Bus Service Improvement: Policy and Options

CONTENTS

• SECTION I INTRODUCTION
• SECTION II GUIDELINES
• Stage 1 Getting Started: Guidelines Structure
• Stage 2 Describing the Starting Point
  • Assess the External Environment
  • Assess the Internal Environment
  • Identify the Baseline Scenario
  • Evaluate and Diagnose Key Problems
• Stage 3 Setting Goals
  • Existing Policies and Objectives
  • Identification of Stakeholders
  • Consultation Process
  • Defining Goals
  • Identifying Constraints
• Stage 4 Exploring Improvement Strategies
• Stage 5 Developing the Improvement Plan
  • Bus Infrastructure Plan
  • Bus Operating Plan
  • Modal Integration Plan
  • Bus Institution and Regulatory Plan
• Stage 6 Finance and Economics
  • Cost Estimation
  • Quantifying benefits
  • Financial and Economic Analysis
  • Mobilisation of Funds
• Stage 7 Implementing the Plan
• Stage 8 Policy Advocacy
• SECTION III ANNEXES
• List of Tables
• List of Figures

Stage 1 Getting Started: Guidelines Structure

Eight Stages

The Guidelines set out eight main stages toward bus service improvement:

STAGE 1: GETTING STARTED

STAGE 2: DESCRIBING THE STARTING POINT

STAGE 3: SETTING GOALS

STAGE 4: EXPLORING DIFFERENT STRATEGIES

STAGE 5: DEVELOPING THE IMPROVEMENT PLAN

STAGE 6: WORKING OUT THE FINANCES AND ECONOMICS

STAGE 7: IMPLEMENTING THE PLAN

STAGE 8: POLICY ADVOCACY

It is recommended that Stages 3–6 of the Guidelines be used in an iterative way. Initially, the Goals may not be fully achieved – at least in the medium-term – due to constraints, such as available finance, the current organizational and regulatory frameworks, or the technical capacity of the operators.

In such cases, earlier phases can be reviewed and revised taking into account expected outcomes and/or barriers. Perhaps targets need to be modified, or enabling actions must be added to the direct actions. In the long run, policy advocacy would have to be resorted to in order to make the external environment conducive to public transport.

The main advantages of an iterative approach are:

• All aspects of the plan are subject to critical analysis
• The overall coherence of the Plan is examined, as well as the individual elements
• Even if the first effort is good, there are always opportunities to improve and optimize
• Potential flaws are more likely to be discovered during the planning phase (when they can be corrected or mitigated) rather than in the implementation phase (when they can be very problematic)
• Stakeholder consensus can be achieved by greater involvement.

Figure 1 summarizes the process involved in developing bus service improvements.

Figure 1 Guideline Structure for Bus Service Improvement

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