PRIVATIZING AND DEREGULATING LOCAL PUBLIC SERVICES: LESSONS FROM BRITAIN'S BUSES

Findings are presented with regard to the impact of local bus deregulation in Great Britain. It is noted that competition can be successfully established while maintaining subsidies for unprofitable, but socially necessary bus services; that competition not only can reduce costs and improve productivity, but also encourage more consumer or market-oriented services; that public authorities involvement in deregulated and privatized services is one of both managing the transition and maintaining competition in the privatized industry; and that misgivings and fears that auto traffic congestion will increase and that there will be a negative impact on urban areas and the environment are unfounded.

• Supplemental Notes:
  • Paper presented at the annual meeting of the Transportation Research Board in Washington, D.C., January 25, 1989 and a slightly different version of this paper was presented at the Conference on Public Transport and the Enterprise Culture held at the University of Nottingham (Great Britain) on April 20-21, 1989.
• Corporate Authors:

  Urban Mass Transportation Administration

  Office of Private Sector Initiatives, 400 7th Street, SW
  Washington, DC  United States  20590
• Authors:
  • Gomez-Ibanez, Jose A
  • Meyer, J R
• Publication Date: 1989-1

Media Info

• Features: References; Tables;
• Pagination: 26 p.

Subject/Index Terms

• TRT Terms: Bus transportation; Deregulation; Privatization; Public transit
• Identifier Terms: Urban Mass Transportation Act
• Uncontrolled Terms: Transit services
• Geographic Terms: United Kingdom
• Old TRIS Terms: Umta section 6
• Subject Areas: Law; Motor Carriers; Public Transportation;

Filing Info

• Accession Number: 00487970
• Record Type: Publication
• Source Agency: Urban Mass Transportation Administration
• Report/Paper Numbers: UMTA-UBP-30-89-2
• Contract Numbers: UMTA-MA-11-00046
• Files: TRIS, USDOT
• Created Date: Sep 30 1989 12:00AM