[sustran] Public transport vehicle, replacement cycles.

[driddell]

 Dear colleagues
 
 I am investigating the economic optimisation of public 
 transport planning, subject to prescribed "customer" service 
 levels.  These service levels include the usual internal 
 issues as well as external issues like pollution, subsidies, 
 congestion control and so on.  My present question relates to 
 vehicle replacement.  My perception of the matter is as follows:
 
 Public transport vehicles, (buses, trains, aeroplanes, etc,) 
 are subject to wear and tear like any other form of 
 machinery.  Over time, vehicles will require increasingly 
 more maintenance, which will cost increasingly more money and 
 reduce their productive time.  These are standard components 
 of economic vehicle replacement cycle analysis.  
 
 In public transport, in addition to the maintenance cost and 
 productive time factors, there is also a question of 
 perceived utility, measured in terms of the vehicles age, 
 condition, appearance and other attributes, such as noise, 
 ride comfort,  safety, and so on.  The implication of this is 
 that a major refurbishment of  vehicles may not offer the 
 same benefit as say, refurbishing a refuse disposal truck. 
 
 Can anyone give me references for work done in evaluating the 
 influence of user, and potential user, perceptions of public 
 transport vehicles on the determination of replacement cycles?
 
 Thanks
 
 Wayne Duff-Riddell
 Institute for Transport Technology
 University of Stellenbosch
 South Africa
 Tel:  +27 21 808 4647
 Fax: +27 21 808 4361
 e-mail (work): driddell at ing.sun.ac.za
 e-mail (home): tiko at intekom.co.za