In the Netherlands, public transport plays an important part in strategic planning. Policy objectives are to raise the share of public transport in the modal split and to improve the financial performance of operators. In Dordrecht, the municipal authority has taken an integrated approach to bus service planning. In June 1997, the municipal operator SVD introduced the Three Bus System to stimulate ridership and to increase revenue. Express Bus provides direct and fast connections with high frequency to serve commuter journeys. City Bus uses a fleet of LPG minibuses with 3-10 minute headways to connect the city centre with Central station. Service Bug improves connectivity of the neighbourhood; it has enhanced accessibility between suburbs and city centre. Service Bug is also designed to cater for the needs of the elderly and passengers in wheel-chairs. Together, the 3 bus nets provide quality service and form a kind of made-to-measure public transport system. To finance the new system, an extra fare zone was introduced in January 1998. A research programme in 3 phases has been implemented to evaluate the effects. A series of before and after interview surveys have been undertaken. This is supplemented with a panel study and statistical analyses of traffic data. The overall aim is to determine changes in travel behaviour, customer perceptions and staff acceptance.
Abstract