The report describes the changes in the provision of local bus services which took place in Tyne and Wear when the 1985 Transport Act (`deregulation') was implemented in October 1986, and during the first year thereafter. The report is the result of a joint monitoring exercise carried out by the Transport and Road Research Laboratory (TRRL) and the Tyne and Wear Passenger Transport Executive. The effects of the 1985 Transport Act in Tyne and Wear can be summarised as follows. The main network of services was maintained. Independent operators increased their services, and new operators entered the market. Frequencies increased and new services were introduced, many of them in competition with established operators or with the Metro. Fares increased before deregulation, and interchange tickets became limited in scope. As a result of the fares increases and the initial disruption of deregulation, patronage on both bus and Metro fell. There was a reduction in public expenditure on transport. The report describes the bus services in Tyne and Wear, and details the effects of the Act on the bus operators, on the Passenger Transport Authority and Executive, and on the passengers. The extent to which the Government's objectives have been achieved in Tyne and Wear is examined. (A)
Abstract