Resource information
This report summarizes the findings of a
study aimed at exploring key elements of a benchmarking
framework for urban transport. Unlike many industries where
benchmarking has proven to be successful and
straightforward, the multitude of the actors and
interactions involved in urban transport systems may make
benchmarking a complex endeavor. It was therefore important
to analyze what has been done so far, propose basic
benchmarking elements and test them, and identify lessons
for a simple and sustainable urban transport benchmarking
framework. A major component of this study was to
investigate (a) the availability of data for benchmarking
and (b) the value of benchmarking on the basis of limited
data. The study therefore proposes a benchmarking framework
for urban transport, focusing on the performance of public
transport. Because the design of a benchmarking framework
depends on the objectives sought from it, the study focused
on the performance of public transport systems from the
policymaker s perspective. The study included pilot
application of the proposed framework in five cities from
three continents Beijing, Bucharest, Cape Town, Colombo, and
Singapore. The pilot application and comparative analysis
helped gauge applicability and practicality of the proposed framework.