Principles of successful high quality public transport operation and development

WP2: National Report

Directorate General for Energy and Transport No TREN/05/FP6TR/S07.58672/020002

10 March 2007

Milena Scherer Jost Wichser IVT ETH Zurich

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The national report document is an input to another document and does not have the status of an "official" PROCEED document.

The views expressed in this publication have not been adopted or in any way approved by the European Commission and should not be relied upon as a statement of the Commission's views. The contents of this document do not prejudge the final form of any decision to be taken by the European Commission on the contents of the work programme or the launch of a call for proposals. Neither the European Commission nor any person acting on its behalf is liable for the use that might be made of the information contained in this document. No one may make any claims from its content.

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TABLE OF CONTENTS 1. National Framework...... 5 1.1. Organisational characteristics...... 5 1.2. Legislation...... 5 1.3. Financing...... 6 2. Why Chur? ...... 7 3. Chur ...... 8 3.1. Chur...... 8 3.2. Concession and organisation of public transport in Chur...... 8 3.3. Network, infrastructure and performance of the city bus system...... 9 3.4. Public funding, costs and revenues...... 12 3.5. Market analyses, monitoring, marketing and information...... 13 3.6. Recent measures and results...... 14 3.7. Main success factors ...... 14

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1. NATIONAL FRAMEWORK

1.1. Organisational characteristics In Switzerland, the responsibility for tendering for regional public transport lies with the cantons. These are obliged to guarantee a basic maintenance of public transport in the entire canton in order to secure adequate economic development in accordance with urban and regional planning. The canton is the approval authority for transport services. The municipality is responsible for financing urban public transport and is involved in the tendering process as well. With public transport lines crossing local borders, good coordination with the adjoining municipalities is necessary. The planning of the urban traffic supply takes place in local responsible departments which in Switzerland mainly belong to the civil engineering office. These departments work closely with the traffic operators and cantonal authorities to plan and specify an optimal transport supply. Subsequently, suitable transport service providers apply. Planning the transport supply is often carried out by external planning offices. In cooperation with local agents, they develop a public transport supply that is responsive to the needs of the users. The public transport supply is adapted to the plans for settlement development as often as possible.

1.2. Legislation The cantons are regulated by higher-ranking legislation. In addition to the Road Traffic Act (SR 741.01), the Bundesgesetz über die Personenbeförderung und die Zulassung als Strassentransportunternehmung (Personenbeförderungsgesetz, SR 744.10) and the Verordnung über die Personenbeförderungskonzession, and the Verordnung über die behindertengerechte Gestaltung des öffentlichen Verkehrs (SR 151.34) apply. The Passenger Transport Act regulates, among other things, the following issues: equal treatment of handicapped persons in public transportation, timetables, compensations, tariffs and passenger transport concessions. At the cantonal and regional levels, the guidelines for public transport are formulated in more detail (e.g. the law requiring a humanitarian and environment-friendly city transport for the city of Chur, which covers the public transport supply including cycle times, tariffs and traffic management). The awarding of a concession for a transport service is regulated at the national level by the Verordnung über die Beförderungskonzession (SR 744.11). In principle, every canton and municipality is free to tailor the requirements set by the Federal Government. The concessions, typically granted for 10 years, are awarded on the basis of the following criteria (from appendix to SR 744.11, Art. 20 Abs. 2): Applications for concession have to contain the following information: • Name and address of the applicant and his company • An abridged version of the commercial register entry • Intent of the application, especially information about convenience and profitability of page 5 of 14

the transport service and its bearing on the concepts of relevant planning sources • Planned routes, including bus stops and distances • Map of the topography with routes and bus stops plotted • Information on whether the transport service is performed during the entire year or seasonally • Start date • Duration of the concession • Timetable and tariffs • Information on funding • Ownership structure of the vehicles • Information about accessibility and programmes for filling the needs of the handicapped • Sanction of the responsible cantons and municipalities

A bus concession must also include a complete list of all vehicles with specific data. In addition, requests for automotive concessions have to specify designated vehicles and replacement vehicles as well as trailers (brand, type, age group, number of seats), unless they are not already used in licensed transport.

Requests for trolley bus concessions must also contain: • A technical report containing information about the nature of the steady electrical systems and the vehicles • Classifications of the vehicles • Documents that show that the appropriate authorities in the affected cantons have granted the operational demands of the electrical systems

1.3. Financing The canton and the individual tendering municipalities set the amount of compensation for public transport. Usually, it is determined annually for the following year. The transport operator has to provide the supply using the compensation and the revenues, as well as other earnings (e.g. advertisements). In the cities under examination, the portion of the compensation covered by the canton varies from 10% to 20%. The municipalities involved, in particular the main city, cover the remainder.

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2. WHY CHUR?

In its size category (20,000–200,000 inhabitants), Chur belongs to the most successful public transportation services in Switzerland. This is based on the results of the public transport test 2006 conducted by the group UmverkehR, where the following factors were investigated: basic interval, distance to the bus stop, average speed of the bus system, ticket prices, age of the fleet, infotainment and information, quality of interchanges and user-friendliness.

Map source: www.worldatlas.com

Figure 1: Geographical location of Chur. Schaffhausen and Lucerne are also considered as cities with a successful bus service. Lucerne Chur Schaffhausen Inhabitants of the catchment area 180,000 32,400 44,000 of the city bus Carried passengers per diem 130,000 18,000 40,000 Passengers per kilometre per 85,800,000 18,000,000 27,700,000 annum Annual compensation (millions 25.5 3.8 9.6 CHF)

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3. CHUR

3.1. Brief overview of Chur Chur is the capital of the largest Swiss Canton, Graubünden. Chur is located in the Alps, where the river Plessur discharges the river Rhein (see Figure 2). Although the city is located in the Alps, the topography of the settlement area is rather flat, which explains the high percentage of cyclists. The municipalities in the neighbourhood are: Felsberg, Domat/Ems, , Trimmis, Malanders, Churwalden and Malix. The city has about 32,500 inhabitants and 25,000 jobs. Most of the people work in Chur or nearby (90%), while about 2,000 people work in the local rural region and 250 commuters head for Zurich. Chur is important in the canton as a place for higher education.

Map source: www.mapsearch.ch

Figure 2: Geographical overview of Chur

3.2. Concession and organisation of public transport in Chur The bus operator of Chur (Stadtbus Chur AG) started work as transport operator in 1996. Before this, a transport delegate of the city provided urban public transportation. This service only covered the city. Today the catchment area includes the municipalities nearby. The assignment to render services for public transport is defined by the city and described in the

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city’s law for a human and environmentally friendly urban transportation (Gesetz über den menschen- und umweltfreundlichen Stadtverkehr, 661). The main aspects in this law are: • Introduction of a basic interval timetable • Consideration of the specific needs of the inhabitants of Chur • Integration of other public transport services into the scheduling process and coordinating departure times • Focus on direct routes • Priority for buses • Affordable pricing for families, adolescents, seniors, handicapped persons and frequent users These are the guidelines for public transport service in Chur. The transport operator is free to develop a service that follows these guidelines. In Chur, the city mayor supervises the transport operator. Depending on the topic, deputies of different departments have to be consulted. Generally, public transport has high political significance in Chur and enjoys a good reputation. The priority of public transport is described in the constitution of the Canton Graubünden (Kap. 6, Abschnitt 3, Art. 82). The cantonal law on public transport in Graubünden (GöV 872.100) as well as the regulations on public transport (VöV 812.150) contain further requirements for public transport services. For the development of regional public transport, the responsibility lies with the cantonal authorities for public transport (Fachstelle ÖV). The concession for the BUSvuCHUR expires in 2010. Then a new concession tendering process starts. The municipalities, in this case mainly the city of Chur, set the subsidies every year in advance. In 2005, the subsidies paid to the BUSvuCHUR were €1.25 million CHF (City of Chur) and €1.125 million CHF (Canton Graubünden). BUSvuCHUR is the name of the urban public transport service in Chur. This is not the only service of the agency (Stadtbus Chur AG). Other products are the Engadinbus, the transport association in the Engadin valley (Engadinverbund), and the TransReno association in collaboration with the (RhB) and the PostAuto AG (bus).

3.3. Network, infrastructure and performance of the city bus system Chur is the most important interchange in the region. The main station is a transfer point for the SBB (Swiss National Railway), the RhB, the BUSvuCHUR and other regional bus lines run by the PostAuto AG. The city area is mostly covered by the service of the BUSvuCHUR and the PostAuto serves a couple of bus stops as well. Chur has the densest grid in Switzerland with an average of a bus stop every 255 metres. The city bus network consists of five bus lines with a length of about 15 km within the city (without the regional part to Rhäzüns, see Figure 3). The schedule is orientated on a remarkable basic interval: during the day, every 10 minutes and on Sundays and in the evenings, every 20 minutes. All bus lines

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are through lines (except line 9) with timetables coordinated to railway departures and the other bus lines.

Figure 3: Public transport network in Chur

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The fleet The BUSvuCHUR has 23 buses (11 Solaris U12, 3 Solaris U18, 5 Neoplan 4421, 1 Neoplan 4416, 1 Neoplan 4407, 1 Mercedes O 405, and 1 Mercedes Sprinter). All buses are less than seven years old. After that, they are replaced. All buses are 100% accessible and equipped with air conditioning, LCD displays, etc. There is an electronic validator at every door, to validate the ChipCards that are used by the passengers. All buses can be localised by GPS. The real-time location of every bus can be observed on the website. The localisation is especially for the real-time information at bus stops and for announcements of the next bus stop in the buses. Bus stops All bus stops have the same design and all are painted red, like the buses. There is a national advertising company called Allgemeine Plakatgesellschaft (APG), which finances and maintains the bus stops in Chur. The transport operator is only responsible for travel information. Forty of a total of 160 bus stops are equipped with a shelter and 20 bus stops have real-time information displays. Ticketing The following chart shows tickets and prices for public transportation in Chur:

Prices (Jan. 2007) SFr. Euro Single ticket (valid in city network incl. Haldenstein and Felsberg, 30 minutes Aabd Eulntstw ertung) 2.50 1.60 Adults, night tariff (after 12pm) 3.00 1.90 Children (under 15) 1.30 0.85 Children, night tariff (after 12pm) 2.00 1.25 Daily ticket (valid in city network incl. Haldenstein and Felsberg) Adults 6.00 3.75 Children 4.00 2.50 wertCard (valid in city network incl. Haldenstein and Felsberg, 30 minutes after validation) Adults 1.60 1.00 Adults, night tariff (after 12pm) 2.00 1.25 Children (under 15) 0.80 0.50 Children, night tariff (after 12pm) 1.00 0.65 aboCard (valid in city network incl. Haldenstein) Adults 54.00 34.00 1 month Seniors 48.00 30.00 Adolescents (under 24) 45.00 28.00 Children (under 15) 31.00 20.00 Adults 430.00 270.00 1 year Seniors 380.00 240.00 Adolescents (under 24) 330.00 210.00 Children (under 15) 215.00 135.00

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Tickets can be purchased in the bus or at the information desk at the main station. The ChipCards can be reloaded in the bus and at the information desk as well. In Chur, there are no vending machines at bus stops. About 80% of the passengers use a ChipCard, the rest have to buy a ticket from the bus driver. The ChipCards can be validated by the electronic validator located at the doors of the buses. Additionally, there are special multi-ride tickets in combination with other tickets such as the extended distance tickets from the SBB or RhB called aboPlus and regioCard. Open boarding During the day there are random checks in the buses by specialised personal. After 8 p.m. passengers have to board at the front door and tickets are checked by the bus driver. Performance The demand for public transport has increased since the introduction of the BUSvuCHUR (see Figure 4). The main reason is the larger area covered by public transport service, especially the connection between the city and the nearby municipalities. The BUSvuCHUR has about 20,000 boardings a day, depending on the weather (Chur has a high percentage of bicycles) and the school season. See Figure 4 for the performance development between 2000-2005. In 2001, there was a change in the Nr. 2 bus route. This now covers the peripheral regions of Chur, which have lots of shopping facilities and the Universitiy of Applied Sciences HTW Chur.

Figure 4: Performance figures for BUSvuCHUR 2000-2005

3.4. Public funding, costs and revenues In 2005, the subsidy was €2,375,000 CHF: City of Chur: €1.25 million CHF and Canton Graubünden €1.125 million CHF. The cost coverage of the BUSvuCHUR is 60%.

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3.5. Market analyses, monitoring, marketing and information There are no specific market analyses on BUSvuCHUR. The manual passenger counting done by the bus driver and hits on the forum on the website are the only source of information (www.churbus.ch). The forum on the website is regularly checked, as well as customer feedback at the information desk at the main station. If the customer explicitly requests an answer, they get one within short time.

The main marketing instruments of BUSvuCHUR are its steady and remarkable service on one hand, and the optical effect of the new red buses and red bus stops on the other. Both are equipped with the latest technology such as real-time displays and buses have infotainment displays. The displays in the buses offer additional information about ski pistes in the surrounding areas, events or movies, etc.

Photo: Milena Scherer

Figure 5: A bus of the fleet of BUSvuCHUR

All essential information about public transport services are available on the website or at the information desk at the main station. Special offers or special events (e.g. Carneval in Chur) are also announced on the displays in the buses. The information desk at the main station is run by BUSvuCHUR, the Rhaetian Railway and the Chur Tourist Office and provides competent general information.

The BUSvuCHUR is a quite young transport operator with a young and dynamic image. Buses and information systems are state-of-the-art. Innovations concerning ticketing and information systems are developed in conjunction with the University of Applied Science in Chur. For the future, plans are to improve the 10-year-old ChipCard system, so that more functions and information, e.g. for customers of the CarSharing provider Mobility (www.mobility.ch) can be registered on the card. Today, there are combinations with ski- tickets, deposit-box card systems and credit cards available. Currently, there are 50,000 ChipCards in use (Chur has 35,000 inhabitants!).

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3.6. Recent measures and results The main measures and results of recent improvements in Chur are: • Improving service in non-peak periods, especially evenings and weekends • Better interchange facilities at the main station after the reconstruction of the main station area • More buses on regular routes

The combined result of these measures is an increase of public services and boardings: • More passengers, especially young people during the night • Quicker access through a better overview and shorter pathways in the main station • Improved stability of the timetable

3.7. Main success factors The main success factors of the BUSvuCHUR are: • Optimal service, based on o easy to remember frequency o punctuality o reliability o cleanliness • Pleasing, modern vehicles including: infotainment, accessibility and corporate design • Using the city bus system as a brand. The name "dr bus vu Chur" (the bus of Chur in local dialect) helps the people identify with "their" bus. Young people in particular like the modern bus service and they are the customers of tomorrow.

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