Performance Measures for New York State Intercity Buses

Abstract

This paper examines the applicability of intracity bus performance evaluation measures to intercity performance evaluation in the state of New York. Intercity performance analysis in the state is receiving greater attention as policymakers examine the fitness of carriers, cost‐effectiveness of the existing route structure, and the fairness of the allocation of subsidies to operators on certain routes. An intercity carrier may be more efficient overall if it specializes in either a fixed route or special services, as efficiency tends to be correlated with the type of service in which the carrier gains most of its revenues. The effect of the state operating assistance program was found to sustain the financial health of carriers whose operations would be unable to recover costs otherwise. The New York State (NYS) case study illustrates the difficulties in evaluating intercity services. Only a few accepted measures of intracity bus performance could be applied to fixed‐route services operated by intercity carriers due to data limitations. As the need for examining intercity performance becomes more critical, it is essential to collect better information from which to expand on the performance indicators demonstrated in the NYS case study. To achieve that goal, it appears that the reporting requirements and related enforcement must become more stringent in the future.