Bus services cheap, flexible — report

Press, Volume CXV, Issue 33783, 4 March 1975, Page 2

Bus services cheap, flexible — report

Zealand Press Association)

WELLINGTON, March 3.

A two-year study of urban development and urban passenger transport has found that bus services are cheap and flexible compared with rail and taxis.

The study was made by Mr T. K. McDonald, of the Institute for Economic Research, for the Urban Public Passenger Transport Council. However, no specific policy recommendations were produced. Buses were shown to provide the most economic public transport services, with total travel costs per passenger mile (including the passenger’s time costs and interest on capital) of between 8c and 20c, though if high average speeds are

. combined with high passenelger volumes, costs can be 3 ias low as 2c a mile. t Mr McDonald found that ’ local buses, stopping regut larly, achieve average speeds eiof about 13 m.p.h. With an average of 25 passengers, v travel costs per passenger s mile are about 20c. d But if higher bus speeds il are achieved through nonf stop or express services, costs y can fall sharply. Speeds of 20 and 50 m.p.h. indicate costs of 12c and 8c a passendjger mile. k Daily passenger demand 01 peaks add possibly 50 per ill cent to bus costs, emphasistjing the need to spread e demand and for more flexie bility in rostering bus services to meet demand, says j the report.

Minibuses were discounted : as competitors to the larger i buses. Their capital cost is i no less per seat mile and the i number of passengers per driver—an important deter- ,i minant of the economics of ;< urban transport modes —was;i much less. The study showed the slow growth in all public passenger transport, including taxis, compared with private vehicle use. Compared with the cost of bus travel, rail and taxi appeared expensive. Taxi costs are about double those for a private cap, reflecting the higher driver cost.

Rail costs in urban areas i were estimated to be significantly higher than for buses : —between 28c and 52c a pas- • senger mile, though rail costs > were highly sensitive to pasi senger loading assumptions. I PRIVATE CARS The study found that where > private car occupancy was -ihigh, its costs were low and > could compete with bus trafivel. : Generally car travel costs -were between 13c (four occupants) and 47c (one occuI pant) a passenger mile. The study of residential development at different densi--1 tips inr-lndinp costs of build-

ing, urban service and travel costs showed that generally costs fell sharply with increasing density. At each density, costs were the lowest for low-rise house or town house accommodation rather than high-rise flats.