[sustran] Re: Fw: [cai-asia] Will maintenance keep 15-year old publictransport buses clean?

[Brendan Finn]

Dear Aurora,

In my opinion, the simple answer is that a good preventive maintenance regime will keep the buses a lot cleaner than they would be in the absence of such a regime. I don't know what you define as "clean", I would take the benchmark as the performance you should expect in the first five years if the vehicle is maintained in line with the manufacturer's recommendations. 

I presume the scenario refers either to an existing stock of buses or to a proposal to buy in second-hand vehicles which are being replaced in another country (perhaps currently 10-15 years old), and that there is concern locally about the future emissions based on past experience with the operators. At the risk of interfering where I don't know the context, I would suggest that there are five factors which could assure good performance from older vehicles : 

a) Clearly defined emission standards which are practical, realistic, and measurable
b) An enforcement regime that can detect violating vehicles and impose escalating penalties on their owners
c) A regime of preventive maintenance within the operating companies that supports a vehicle throughout its working life (provide some technical assistance if needed)
d) Sufficiently strong incentives for companies to include emissions-related work and testing within such a regime
e) Incentives for operating companies to replace their vehicles when good maintenance can no longer possible keep them within specifications (and, of course, ensure that these vehicles are scrapped rather than sold on somewhere else)

On one issue I would be cautious. In some places I have seen the arguments about old or clean buses used as a pretext for other actions. For example, I have seen it used to drive small operating companies and owner-drivers off the road to the advantage of the state-owned enterprises, and in other cases as criteria on routes tenders to quite effectively eliminate the competition in the pre-qualification stages. I think it is important to keep the agenda 'clean' as well as the buses!

If you assemble the various inputs into a briefing note, I would be interested to receive it.

With best wishes, 


Brendan Finn. 
_____________________________________________________________________________________
>From Brendan Finn, ETTS Ltd.   e-mail : etts at indigo.ie   tel : +353.87.2530286
  ----- Original Message ----- 
  From: aables at adb.org 
  To: sustran-discuss at list.jca.apc.org 
  Sent: Wednesday, February 01, 2006 3:40 AM
  Subject: [sustran] Fw: [cai-asia] Will maintenance keep 15-year old publictransport buses clean?


  Dear SUSTRAN friends, 

  We thought you might have something to say on this topic. Please see below. 

  Best regards, 

  Au 

  Aurora Fe Ables
  Transport Researcher
  Clean Air Initiative for Asian Cities (CAI-Asia)
  Asian Development Bank
  Tel (632) 632-4444 ext. 70820
  Fax (632) 636-2381
  Email aables at adb.org
  http://www.cleanairnet.org/caiasia

  www.adb.org 

  ----- Forwarded by Aurora Ables/Consultants/ADB on 01-02-2006 11:27 AM ----- 
        gbathan at adb.org 
        01-02-2006 10:40 AM Please respond to
              cai-asia at lists.worldbank.org 


       To "Clean Air Initiative -- Asia" <cai-asia at lists.worldbank.org>  
              cc hfabian at adb.org, "Bebet Gozun" <bggozun at hotmail.com>, chuizenga at adb.org, majero at adb.org, mrco at adb.org, aables at adb.org  
              Subject [cai-asia] Will maintenance keep 15-year old public transport buses clean? 

              

       




  Dear friends, 

  In a stakeholder meeting held in the Philippines last week, CAI-Asia was asked to request inputs through the listserv to the question -- "Will vehicle maintenance ensure that 15-year old public transport buses remain non-polluting?" 15 years here means 15 years from the date of engine manufacture. 

  Your inputs would be greatly appreciated. 

  Glynda 

  Glynda Bathan
  Coordinator
  Clean Air Initiative for Asian Cities (CAI-Asia)
  Asian Development Bank
  Tel (632) 632-5151
  Fax (632) 636-2381
  http://www.cleanairnet.org/caiasia

  www.adb.org 

  Aurora Fe Ables
  Transport Researcher
  Clean Air Initiative for Asian Cities (CAI-Asia)
  Asian Development Bank
  Tel (632) 632-4444 ext. 70820
  Fax (632) 636-2381
  Email aables at adb.org
  http://www.cleanairnet.org/caiasia

  www.adb.org



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  SUSTRAN-DISCUSS is a forum devoted to discussion of people-centred, equitable and sustainable transport with a focus on developing countries (the 'Global South'). Because of the history of the list, the main focus is on urban transport policy in Asia.
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