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https://nap.nationalacademies.org/catalog/27432/critical-issues-in-transportation-for-2024-and-beyond

Bus regulation, network planning and bus service procurement - the Malta experience

Local bus services on the island of Malta are currently provided by some 500 buses registered to 450 operators. A generally medium to high frequency network (3,750 departures per day) focuses on the capital, Valletta. Services are provided on a "day on, day off" basis with each operator presenting his bus to be allocated a day's operating duties every other day at the main bus station in Valletta by 0730 hours. The Malta Transport Authority (ADT) is responsible for all aspects of regulation and, ultimately, enforcement. The Bus Operators'Association (ATP) represents the interests of operators, manages day to day operations and shares monitoring and control duties with ADT officers. Operators are paid a rate per seat kilometre of operation and revenue is banked with the government. At the time of the study revenue on buses fell short of the payments made to operators by some 30%. With one of the highest rates of motorisation in Europe the island's bus services were regarded as unattractive, costly and unreliable, particularly by younger people. The Government of Malta, through its agency ADT, wished to consider changing the basis of funding and regulation of services, requiring: an audit of present operations and infrastructure; a review of options for the regulation of provision; and recommendations for a regulatory framework. In particular the study was to consider the introductionof an element of competition into the provision of bus services, in line with the principles set down in the EU document Comm 2000,7. The study proposals were to have a primary aim of raising the image and perception of the island's bus services from that of a mode of last resort to something regarded as a genuine alternative to using private cars. The latter would include clearly defined roles for government, the operators' association and the operators themselves. Network planning, currently somewhat ad hoc, would be a function of ADT. Any new regime was to be capable of acting as aplatform for the introduction of new intermediate modes such as Bus RapidTransit. The study examined regulatory options against a nine stage typology of degrees of regulation ranging from a totally deregulated "system" with minimal quality or quantity controls to a fully publicly planned and operated network. Recommendations focused on a revised bus network with a greater emphasis on bus to bus interchange,an integrated ticketing regime that made interchange more efficient and did not result in fare penalties for interchange, reduced operating costs of the network and division of thenetwork into nine operating route groups that could be offered as franchises or operating contracts. It was identified that through local association the network could continue to be provided by individual operators but with fewer required in total. For the covering abstract see ITRD E145999

Language

  • English

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Filing Info

  • Accession Number: 01166009
  • Record Type: Publication
  • Source Agency: TRL
  • Files: ITRD
  • Created Date: Aug 26 2010 8:38AM