[sustran] Re: (fwd) [UTSG] transport strategy transfer

[Brendan Finn]

Jonathon,

Taking Bangkok as an example, is there any practical way to provide bus
services on a commercial basis at fares affordable to the poor with anything
other than low-quality, low-cost buses ? If there is, I'd like to hear it,
since it seems to be an intractable puzzle in many countries.

My experience in the CIS is that you can cover direct operating costs of old
vehicles at low fares. To move to a new vehicle - however basic - requires a
premium fare compared to the "social" fare. In part this reflects the high
cost of capital, linked to low security of tenure on the route, and hence
higher interest both to reflect the risk and the lack of financial weight of
the borrower. In greater part, though, is the relative cost of hard assets
compared to the fares income. In Russia, Kyrgyzstan and Uzbekistan, I have
seen no shortage of takers for the premium fare services, which offer a much
higher quality of service in the eyes of the users - a seat, speed,
cleanliness, and much less unwanted proximity (especially for women). Of
course, this leaves the social travel and the poorest with the low-cost
services, leading them inexorably down the sinkhole.

I find myself agreeing with others that BRT in itself should not have
negative impact on low-cost services, unless they are excluded from it
simply because they are deemed not modern enough. In that case the fault is
not BRT but the implemented policies. But there is a very valid case to
exclude rustbuckets and unroadworthy vehicles. There is also a very good
case to exclude stopping services where they hamper the flow of other bus
services.

I guess a factor to take into account is whether the economy and people's
wages and living conditions are in transition. It is reasonable to aim to
transform the public transport services to better quality in line with the
improvements experienced in other walks of life, and to charge more for it.

With best wishes,


Brendan Finn,
ETTS, Ireland.


_______________________________________________________________________
Contact details are : e-mail : etts at indigo.ie   tel : +353.87.2530286
----- Original Message -----
From: "Jonathan E. D. Richmond" <richmond at alum.mit.edu>
To: <karl at dnet.net.id>; "Asia and the Pacific sustainable transport"
<sustran-discuss at list.jca.apc.org>
Sent: Friday, April 23, 2004 8:46 AM
Subject: [sustran] Re: (fwd) [UTSG] transport strategy transfer


>
> Karl, I am not really talking about differences between the 4 baht and 5
> baht buses (the 5 baht blue/white ones also being nonaircon), but between
> the 4/5 baht buses and the 20 baht aircon ones. I am planning to get some
> hard data, such as is available, over the summer, but the very fact that
> the nonaircon buses run on the same routes as aircon ones and that crowds
> of people will wait for the cheaper services to save money suggests that
> price is an issue in choosing bus services as much as between bus and
rail.
>
> You will remember that the government representative at the recent UN
> conference on BRT explicitly said he was not interested in keeping low
> fares should premium services be provided. The trend in Thailand has been
to
> provide extremely low-quality services for the poor at low fares and to
> price anything else much higher. It is politically difficult to increase
the
> cost of existing services, and there is a strong constituency for the 4
> baht fare, but we have seen that when new services are introduced --
> whether on the Skytrain, underground or with aircon buses, the
> opportunity is taken to charge much more: amounts which are far beyond
> the ability of people of low income to pay.
>
> I am not saying BRT programs are bad -- they would bring important
> benefits to Bangkok -- but I am warning that they may not be for the
> masses as implemented in a Thai context.
>
> I am going to have to get you to come and speak to my students at AIT
> before long!!!
>
> Best,
>
>                  --Jonathan
>
> -----
>
> Jonathan E. D. Richmond                               02 524-5510 (office)
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>
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>
>