Resources

A methodology and computer-based model was developed to analyse the performance of urban bus services in terms of their operations, market indicators and financial performance.

The main input to the methodology and model is a database of existing bus services, disaggregated by route and time period, and including operating statistics, patronage, fare revenues and unit costs.

The NZ bus policy model operates at a route level and has two main applications:

• as a service performance diagnostic tool, ie to examine the performance of existing services in operational, market and financial terms 
• as a scenario analysis tool, to assess the impacts on the bus system and its performance of changes to services, fares or unit costs and/or changes in external factors affecting the demand for bus travel (eg changes in fuel prices, impacts of population and urban development changes). 

The model uses MS Excel software. It was developed and piloted with the public transport planning and funding authority in Wellington, New Zealand. The main end users of the model are expected to be government authorities involved in the planning and funding of urban public transport services and the operators of these services.

Keywords: bus, (computer) model, costs, elasticity, generalised costs, New Zealand, performance, public transport