The punctuality and the reliability of public transport are key factors in the choice of travel mode, and they also affect operating costs. When travel time on a route varies significantly, public transport operators need to increase scheduled buffer time to maintain punctuality and reliability. This increases costs by increasing staffing and equipment needed to offer a given level of service. The variability in route travel time depends on many factors, including traffic conditions, number of passengers, and operating practices (e.g., boarding processes). A study was done to evaluate the impact of one boarding subprocess, ticket sales, on bus dwell time at stops. The research confirmed that onboard ticket sales can significantly affect a public transport line's travel time and reliability. The research showed that onboard ticket sales subprocesses are relatively long and vary significantly; consequently, they strongly influence schedule reliability. Results showed that the time spent selling tickets can be up to 20% of the total run time. However, the biggest problem is the great variance in time spent on the ticket sales process.

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Accurate measurement systems of performance are important for all businesses, including public transport. The importance of such systems will grow with the advent of liberalization in the European transportation sector (i.e., the opening of transit service provision for tendering), as service provision contracts will require agreed-on measures for performance and service. This paper describes research on developing a public transport level-of-service (LOS) standards framework for Switzerland. The standards framework is intended to reflect influences on capacity and operational quality in urban road-based transit and relies on four main measures: speeds, passenger loads, on-time performance, and headway adherence. This paper outlines the selection of specific measures for evaluating public transport LOS and the proposed framework. The framework provides a consistent method for evaluating public transport LOS on all levels of analysis, from single elements (e.g., bus stops) to networkwide analysis. The paper also describes how information from automated onboard data collection systems can be used for detailed service analysis. This calibration procedure is illustrated in an example from the Zurich public transport system. Challenges faced (especially with respect to the selection and filtering of relevant data) and future development of the approach are described. While the proposed LOS framework is being prepared for Switzerland, the experience and approach described should help others developing and improving performance management systems for public transport.

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