Abstract
In the Netherlands several attempts have been made to establish a comparison standard for urban public transport performance, according to a similar standard for inter-urban routes introduced several years ago. For this purpose, a method is designed for measuring urban public transport performance, which is easy to execute, and which allows the desired decentralisation of responsibilities in the public transport field. This method encourages local authorities to maintain an active policy towards public transport by "rewarding" such a positive attitude and by "penalizing" any communities showing lack of interest.