Buses lead European small town revivals.

• Author: Wynne, George G.

This article initially appeared in the June 1996 issue of Public Innovation Abroad, published by the International Center of the Academy for State and Local Government, and is reprinted with permission.

The fact that even small towns with populations as low as 20,000 can operate world-class city bus systems that reduce private car travel and contribute to urban livability was brought home to U.S. transit executives in Europe in the spring of 1996. The fourth international transit study mission included managers of transit properties in communities stretching from Alaska to Florida who came to study urban and regional bus operations in smaller European cities. The two-week study trip visited 17 operations in four countries and witnessed dramatic successes obtained by smaller communities in altering the modal split by introducing or improving public transit.

Mini and midibus lines with stops close to the homes of most residents in the cities visited have made a substantial contribution to the quality of urban life while reducing car use and pollution in the central business districts. Carrying distinctive city emblems, the small town bus systems are a source of civic pride for local residents. They operate all day long on headways as low as 15 minutes along clearly marked routes from a central transfer bay in the downtown area, usually near the railway station. In Switzerland, Austria, and southern and western Germany, the small town bus revival trend has led to remarkable increases in local riderships and changes of the modal split in favor of public transit. Civic pride, reliable schedules, frequency, and convenience are only part of the answer. Accounting in large part for success of the city bus systems is their seamless insertion into regional transit networks that practice full fare integration: a single ticket or a monthly pass is accepted by all service providers throughout the portion of the network selected by the traveler.

System Successes in Switzerland

The convenience offered by the new or improved local systems that supplement the regional services resulted in startling increases in ridership. The "oldest" of the new city bus systems visited by the team - in the picturesque town of Frauenfeld (pop. 20,000) near Zurich in Switzerland - dates back to 1982. It is overseen for the city by a single employee and operated on a concession by a private local firm.

The nine-bus system carried more than 1.4 million passengers in 1995, more than triple the number when it first started. Intersection priority, some separate bus lanes, and other design changes keep...