A premium fare is a fare on a public transport service set at least ten percent above the fare normally applying on that route or offered by alternative service - companies or public bodies often using a slower or less commodious vehicle. A premium fare might be levied at times where traffic-levels would otherwise be unbearably high, for instance on summer Fridays or during rush hours, or on a clearly identifiable route where a timely arrival is perceived as particularly important (e.g. reaching a ferry terminal or airport for an onward link for which a high price has already been paid). If the fare level deters some passengers this might reduce vandalism and maintenance costs and minimise the dwell-time required at any intermediate stops between the most popular stops. Many premium fare operations are non-stop (light) railway links and they can therefore abstract considerable capacity from any railway line also used by slower (normally less glamorous) services.
Along congested transport corridors or inner suburbs with lower car ownership levels and typically lower traffic speeds, the adverse impact of fast trains upon other passenger train timetables or parking opportunities raises issues of social equity. Political parties differ widely on whether public transport operations should meet their costs or be viewed partly as a welfare service supporting broader aims of balancing development, life-chances and job opportunities across a city region. Premium fares can thus be viewed as socially divisive, although when applied only to short periods of a working-day they can improve levels of safety and comfort through enticing travellers to spread their journey times. That might have multiplier benefits on personal stress, crime levels and pollution incidence if managed with sensitivity to the public good (rather than simply in pursuance of an operator's profit motive).
Emphasizing the benefits of an off-peak zonal rover ticket at a lower fare than peak-period options over an identical route is one well-tried way of making premium peak-hour fares seem more acceptable, it is an instance of a clever marketing slant. Road tolls as introduced on turnpikes can also be varied by time of day, day of week, or season with identical motives. These can also be market-led or community-determined and might be accrued to repay loans secured by a firm or transport agency to enable the construction of a bridge, tunnel or high-grade section of road. Again the higher priced option has to be demonstrably better than any alternative route that can be freely driven (excluding running costs of the vehicle).
Wherever a fare is deliberately pitched lower than the norm, this is termed predatory pricing and can lead to antitrust action where regulators have some authority. It is a tactic used to achieve a more monopolistic position in a local 'marketplace', in plain language to squeeze-out an upstart operator, or possibly a well-established one perceived as rather complacent or vulnerable for other reasons (such as poorly remunerated staff).
Transport economics is a branch of economics founded in 1959 by American economist John R. Meyer that deals with the allocation of resources within the transport sector. It has strong links to civil engineering. Transport economics differs from some other branches of economics in that the assumption of a spaceless, instantaneous economy does not hold. People and goods flow over networks at certain speeds. Demands peak. Advance ticket purchase is often induced by lower fares. The networks themselves may or may not be competitive. A single trip may require the bundling of services provided by several firms, agencies and modes.
Price discrimination is a microeconomic pricing strategy where identical or largely similar goods or services are sold at different prices by the same provider to different buyers based on which market segment they are perceived to be part of. Price discrimination is distinguished from product differentiation by the difference in production cost for the differently priced products involved in the latter strategy. Price discrimination essentially relies on the variation in customers' willingness to pay and in the elasticity of their demand. For price discrimination to succeed, a seller must have market power, such as a dominant market share, product uniqueness, sole pricing power, etc.
Pricing is the process whereby a business sets and displays the price at which it will sell its products and services and may be part of the business's marketing plan. In setting prices, the business will take into account the price at which it could acquire the goods, the manufacturing cost, the marketplace, competition, market condition, brand, and quality of the product.
Bus rapid transit (BRT), also referred to as a busway or transitway, is a trolleybus, electric bus and public transport bus service system designed to have much more capacity, reliability, and other quality features than a conventional bus system. Typically, a BRT system includes roadways that are dedicated to buses, and gives priority to buses at intersections where buses may interact with other traffic; alongside design features to reduce delays caused by passengers boarding or leaving buses, or paying fares. BRT aims to combine the capacity and speed of a light rail transit (LRT) or mass rapid transit (MRT) system with the flexibility, lower cost and simplicity of a bus system.
A rush hour or peak hour is a part of the day during which traffic congestion on roads and crowding on public transport is at its highest. Normally, this happens twice every weekday: once in the morning and once in the afternoon or evening, the times during which most people commute. The term is often used for a period of peak congestion that may last for more than one hour.
A share taxi, shared taxi, taxibus, or jitney or dollar van in the US, or marshrutka in former Soviet countries, is a mode of transport which falls between a taxicab and a bus. Share taxis are a form of paratransit. They are vehicles for hire and are typically smaller than buses. Share taxis usually take passengers on a fixed or semi-fixed route without timetables, sometimes only departing when all seats are filled. They may stop anywhere to pick up or drop off their passengers. They are most common in developing countries and inner cities.
A telecommunications tariff is an open contract between a telecommunications service provider and the public, filed with a regulating body such as state and municipal Public Utilities Commissions and federal entities such as the Federal Communications Commission (FCC). Such tariffs outline the terms and conditions of providing telecommunications service to the public including rates, fees, and charges.
Bus deregulation in Great Britain involved the abolition of Road Service Licensing for bus services outside of Greater London. It began in 1980 with long-distance bus services and was extended to local bus services in 1986 under the Transport Act 1985. The abolition of Road Service Licensing removed the public sector's role in fare-setting, routes, and bus frequencies and returned those powers to bus operators.
In the context of European Union law, a public service obligation or PSO is an obligation imposed on an organisation by legislation or contract to provide a service of general interest within EU territories. PSOs may operate in any field of public service, but postal services, social services, energy, transport and banking are specific sectors where the concept is relevant.
A business can use a variety of pricing strategies when selling a product or service. To determine the most effective pricing strategy for a company, senior executives need to first identify the company's pricing position, pricing segment, pricing capability and their competitive pricing reaction strategy. Pricing strategies and tactics vary from company to company, and also differ across countries, cultures, industries and over time, with the maturing of industries and markets and changes in wider economic conditions.
In British slang, a booze cruise is a brief trip from Britain to France or Belgium with the intent of taking advantage of lower prices, and buying personal supplies of (especially) alcohol or tobacco in bulk quantities. This is a legally allowed process not to be confused with smuggling.
Translink is the public transport agency in the State of Queensland, Australia, and is a division of the Department of Transport and Main Roads. Translink was first introduced by the Queensland Government in June 2003 to orchestrate bus, ferry, rail and light rail services. They work with Brisbane Airtrain, Transport for Brisbane, RiverCity Ferries, Queensland Rail and other operators to provide services. Translink operates an integrated ticketing system across Queensland and the go card system to allow the use of one ticket on multiple services in South East Queensland.
Guernsey is the second largest of the Channel Islands. It is part of the Common Travel Area, allowing passport-free travel to and from the United Kingdom, Jersey, the Isle of Man or Ireland. Travel to the Schengen Area of Europe requires a passport or an EU national identity document and from 2025 entry to the Schengen Area will require compliance with the European Travel Information and Authorisation System (ETIAS) and non EU citizens may need a visa. Entry from the Schengen Area requires a passport, except when a concession is in place for short trips to Guernsey, when an EU ID card is acceptable.
In public transportation, schedule adherence or on-time performance refers to the level of success of the service remaining on the published schedule. On time performance, sometimes referred to as on time running, is normally expressed as a percentage, with a higher percentage meaning more vehicles are on time. The level of on time performance for many transport systems is a very important measure of the effectiveness of the system.
Public transport bus services are generally based on regular operation of transit buses along a route calling at agreed bus stops according to a published public transport timetable.
In Queensland, Australia, public bus services are coordinated by the Queensland Government's Department of Transport and Main Roads and provided by over 1000 operators. The coordination of public bus transport generally falls under three schemes: Translink services, QConnect services and the remaining rural/regional school services. Some operators also provide entirely private bus services in Queensland which are not subject to the same route and ticketing regulation as the public route providers, or segments thereof, are.
Public transport is a system of transport for passengers by group travel systems available for use by the general public unlike private transport, typically managed on a schedule, operated on established routes, and that may charge a posted fee for each trip. There is no rigid definition of which kinds of transport are included, and air travel is often not thought of when discussing public transport—dictionaries use wording like "buses, trains, etc." Examples of public transport include city buses, trolleybuses, trams and passenger trains, rapid transit and ferries. Public transport between cities is dominated by airlines, coaches, and intercity rail. High-speed rail networks are being developed in many parts of the world.
The Bangkok BRT is a bus rapid transit system in Bangkok, Thailand. Out of the five routes that were originally planned, only one line has been in operation since 2010, with all the other routes cancelled. At the end of April 2017, Bangkok Metropolitan Administration (BMA) announced the whole system might be cancelled due to low ridership and financial losses, however a subsequent opinion survey carried out by the BMA found there was a demand for the service to be retained. In March 2017 the Governor of Bangkok announced the service would continue, with increased ticket prices and changed operator to Bangkok Mass Transit System Public Company Limited.
The main public transport in the Netherlands for longer distances is by train. Long-distance buses are limited to a few missing railway connections. Regional and local public transport is by bus and in some cities by metro and tram. There are also ferries.
TransPeshawar or Zu Peshawar is a bus rapid transit system in Peshawar, capital of Pakistan's Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) province. TransPeshawar BRT system consists of two parts: the first encompasses an east–west corridor served by 30 stations on a dedicated lane for exclusive use by buses, while the second part consists of a network of feeder routes in which buses can enter and exit the system to travel on city streets. The system was inaugurated on 13 August 2020, and is the fourth BRT system in Pakistan.