PARATRANSIT AND URBAN PUBLIC TRANSPORT POLICY IN LOW AND MEDIUM-INCOME COUNTRIES: A CASE STUDY OF ISTANBUL, TURKEY

The research questions of this study are: "Are existing paratransit services efficient and effective when compared to publicly provided bus services or the automobile?" and "Do present public transport policies and regulations reduce efficiency and effectiveness and lead to other negative outcomes?". These questions are examined within a framework which considers the interrelationship between modal policies and regulation, economic efficiency, and effectiveness.;The primary findings are that private buses are more efficient than public buses on a cost per passenger-km. basis, and that private minibuses are as efficient as public buses. In terms of energy efficiency, minibuses are almost as efficient as public and private buses using actual occupancy levels. Large shared taxis are twice as cost and energy efficient as cars, and small shared taxis 50% more efficient. In terms of investment cost per seat, large shared taxis have the lowest cost followed by smaller shared taxis, minibuses and buses.;Considering actual occupancy levels, minibuses are only slightly less effective in terms of congestion than buses, and large and small shared taxis are twice as effective as cars. It is also shown that minibuses and shared taxis have better service quality than buses because of higher frequencies and speeds, and because they provide a much higher probability of getting a seat than buses.;The analysis of regulation and policy suggests that there are many unintended costs of public transport regulations. Many of the justifications in the literature for these regulations are shown to not hold. The regulatory mix suggested by this analysis as being most effective is fixed maximum fares, loosened entry, and increased contracting with private operators.;The study is a case study of Istanbul Turkey, which uses multiple data collection and research methods including indepth interviews, 271 surveys of shared taxi and minibus operators, participant observation, secondary sources, and the literature on public transport from low, medium and high income countries. Extensive use is also made of a survey administered in Istanbul in 1976 to 1,935 paratransit operators.