Walker – BUS SERVICES IN TWO TOWNS 1993

Description

This 1993 study used mailed questionnaires to 250 households in two UK housing estates (response ~29–31%, likely biased toward bus users) to compare service stability, information provision, perceived quality and ridership. Trefechan (Merthyr) experienced intense post-deregulation competition with frequent operator changes, high peak vehicle frequencies, confusing liveries and poor timetable publicity. Users rated frequency and reliability relatively well but comfort and fares poorly; many relied on friends/relatives for information and a majority said lack of timetables would not deter them. Westfield (Radstock) had more stable services, greater household distribution of timetables, lower trip frequencies concentrated on essential journeys, higher car availability and generally average-to-good quality ratings; more passengers would be deterred by absence of timetables. Women comprised a large share of trips. The authors conclude that service stability and information availability influence passenger confidence and travel behaviour but find no simple correlation with ridership, recommending improved local authority information provision.