Citizens’ involvement and the representation of passenger interests in public transport: Dimensions of a long‐neglected area of transport planning and policy with case studies from Germany

Are statutory passenger watchdogs effective in representing passenger interests in public transport?

“…The paper focuses on the bus sector in which both the regimes exist. Since similar public transport regimes are also found elsewhere in Europe and worldwide (Schiefelbusch, 2005), the present case study can provide some useful lessons to a wider range of stakeholders. Furthermore, little is known theoretically or empirically about consumer organizations (Guest, 2015).…”

“…Though its duty has remained the same since then, its names have changed several times in accordance with the extension of its geographical and modal responsibility. On the formation of the Greater London Authority in 2000, the passenger representative body in London was taken over by the London Assembly and adopted LTW as its operating name in 2005/2006(London Assembly, 2010.…”

“…Furthermore, in regulated regimes, the relationship between public transport operators (PTOs) and local PTAs can be seen one between 'seller' and 'buyer'. Local PTAs may pursue other interests that differ from those of the end customer, while the operators may adapt their services to PTAs' preferences in order to win a contract (Schiefelbusch, 2005).…”

Passenger representation within the light-handed regulation – Insights from the Australian air transport market

“…In-depth interviews with selected experts are advantageous over surveys because they enable the investigator to ask probing questions, and in so doing, explore a phenomenon in detail (Yin, 2016). In addition, the involvement of experts from different backgrounds generates a more holistic picture of the underlying issues, which is important since topics surrounding public policy are often influenced by political processes and lobbying activities by different interest groups (Schiefelbusch, 2005;Trischler & Charles, 2018).…”

“…Deregulation has provided many opportunities for the air transport sector, particularly regarding reducing costs, diversifying service provision and utilising synergy effects with key stakeholders (Bilotkach, Clougherty, Mueller & Zhang, 2012;Fu, Homsombat & Oum, 2011). In most regulatory regimes, however, the voice of the passenger as the end-user is neglected, particularly regarding their specific needs and willingness to pay for new infrastructure developments (Schiefelbusch, 2005;Thao, Wegelin & von Arx, 2017). This is specifically the case in markets that lack competition or substitutes (Hanson, 1999), as is the case in the Australian domestic air transport market.…”