MEASURING THE EFFICIENCY OF PUBLIC ENTERPRISES: BUS OPERATING COMPANIES IN THE SAN FRANCISCO BAY AREA

Comments are made on an article of the same name by L. Merewitz (Transportation, Volume 6 (1977 pp 45-56 (TRIS 156469)) which applied a cost function previously developed by the author for urban bus operation to Bay Area Properties. After citing two mechanical errors (which could have been corrected by consulting the author's original dissertation instead of the article on which the analysis was based.), he notes that the cost equation was generated in an effort to determine which of the variables affecting the cost of urban bus transportation were within the operator's span of control, which might be affected by local policy outside the operator's control, and which were inherently determined by either the system or the nature of the urbanized area. It was not intended for use in the more problematic area of assessing efficiency of operation as was done in the article cited. Relative Efficiency of transit properties can best be addressed through performance indicators, while cost equations should be reserved for cost estimation.

• Availability:
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• Corporate Authors:

  Elsevier

  Radarweg 29
  Amsterdam,   Netherlands  1043 NX
• Authors:
  • Miller, D R
• Publication Date: 1979-3

Media Info

• Features: References;
• Pagination: p. 71-72
• Serial:
  • Transportation (Netherlands)
  • Volume: 8 N
  • Issue Number: 1
  • Publisher: Martinus Nijhoff Publishers
  • ISSN: 0049-4488

Subject/Index Terms

• TRT Terms: Applications; Bus lines; Costs; Economic efficiency; Equations; Measurement; Utilization
• Uncontrolled Terms: Efficiency
• Subject Areas: Economics; Finance; Highways; Motor Carriers; Planning and Forecasting; Research;

Filing Info

• Accession Number: 00197145
• Record Type: Publication
• Files: TRIS
• Created Date: Oct 17 1979 12:00AM