Ellson and Tebb – BENEFITS AND COSTS OF PROVIDING ADDITIONAL INFORMATION ABOUT URBAN PUBLIC TRANSPORT SERVICES 1981

Description

TRRL and the West Yorkshire PTE ran a small urban experiment in Bingley to test whether locally distributed information (11,000 condensed leaflets and bus-stop display panels) would boost public-transport use. The campaign cost ~£1,200, achieved ~56% leaflet penetration, and used a control area plus before/after boarding, alighting and ticket data. Results showed modal and route shifts: rail ticket sales redistributed toward Bradford (+7–9%) and away from Skipton (−23%), with overall rail tickets up ≈2.7% (≈+4.4% versus control). Bus patronage fell less in Bingley (−4.4%) than in the control (−5.9%), with significant stop-level changes (e.g., Stop M +13.3%, Stops A–C down), consistent with service switching driven by fare/time information. Promotion of Metro “Happy Day” tickets produced a significant lift (≈68 extra tickets at Bingley above trend, 33 attributable to stop advertising). Estimated five-month operator benefits were about £6,500 (± a factor of two), implying a roughly 3–10× return. The study concludes inexpensive, targeted information can be cost-effective despite data limitations.