Bus routing strategies in a transit market: A case study of Hong Kong

This paper presents a study of routing strategies by bus operators in a fully or partially deregulated environment such as the one in Hong Kong. Typically in North America, where bus operations are highly subsidized by the government, routing decisions are based on the assumption that public transport is a basic governmental service, so buses are routed to either minimize operational costs in order to provide service within budgetary constraints or maximize transit availability. The two are exclusive, so one or the other dominates. In private operation, routing could be used to achieve a different objective, maximizing revenues and profits. The paper examines the case of Kowloon Motor Bus in Hong Kong, which underwent a variety of regulatory changes and infrastructure improvements over the past few decades. Routing can not by itself guarantee direct routes and high levels of service without adding to congestion through overlapping routes and modes. The authors suggest an institutional commitment to establishing multi-modal fare structures and operations.

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