Samenvatting
In the context of an attempt to reconcile the desire to extend the role of public transport in the Netherlands with the desire to maintain efficiency of operation and limit subsidy costs attention is increasingly turning to consideration of regulatory reform. The most radical reform in recent years is that introduced in Britain with the deregulation and privatisation of the bus industry. A brief characterisation of the current Dutch arrangements and those prevailing in Britain before 1980 shows considerable similarities. The objective of this article is to review British experience and to assess the relevance of that experience for the Dutch situation.