APPROACHES TO QUALITY: THE SMALL OPERATOR'S VIEWS

The attempt to introduce quality into all aspects of the business of Plymouth Citybus, a small British bus operator, is presented. Before deregulation under the 1985 Transport Act, the company was run by Plymouth City Council. In 1985, a study analysed every bus journey, and used the Busdriver model to test the revenue implications and results of its fare-frequency mix. As a result, the bus routes in Plymouth were changed dramatically, and the buses changed from all double-deck to 70% minibus. The result was fast, frequent services to the city's outlying housing estates; each route was designed to be profitable by itself. Since then, the bus network's quality has been maintained in several ways, including: (1) monthly route costing and six-monthly journey costing statements; (2) a strategy of stability; (3) use of midibuses on some routes, and fast, frequent minibuses on others; and (4) extending some routes. Devon County Council has introduced two park-and-ride schemes and a series of traffic management schemes. High quality staff performance, investment of profit into resources, good marketing, and effective management control have all made important contributions to Plymouth Citybus's quality. For the covering abstract see IRRD 874487.

• Corporate Authors:

  TAS PUBLICATIONS AND EVENTS LTD

  BRITANNIC HOUSE
  1A CHAPEL STREET, PRESTON  United Kingdom  PR1 8BU
• Authors:
  • Fisher, B
• Publication Date: 1995

Language

• English

Media Info

• Pagination: p. 60-5
• Serial:
  • THE BUS IN A NEW ERA. TURNING THE TIDE. CONFERENCE PAPERS, LEEDS, MARCH 1995
  • Publisher: TAS PUBLICATIONS AND EVENTS LTD

Subject/Index Terms

• TRT Terms: Buses; Conferences; Investments; Itinerary; Local government agencies; Marketing; Minibuses; Networks; Personnel; Policy; Public transit; Quality control; Transportation operations; Urban areas
• Uncontrolled Terms: Quality; Transportation networks
• Geographic Terms: United Kingdom
• ITRD Terms: 1272: Bus; 8525: Conference; 227: Investment; 699: Itinerary; 192: Local authority; 277: Marketing; 1263: Minibus; 1054: Network (traffic); 1144: Operations (transp network); 102: Personnel; 173: Policy; 744: Public transport; 9063: Quality; 8119: United Kingdom; 313: Urban area
• Subject Areas: Policy; Public Transportation; Society;

Filing Info

• Accession Number: 00714452
• Record Type: Publication
• Source Agency: Transport Research Laboratory
• Files: ITRD
• Created Date: Dec 27 1995 12:00AM