Learning from Europe: Organize regionally and focus on the customer

Buses in Barcelona, a region whose network manager, Autoritat del Transport Metropolità (AMT) is a member of EMTA.

Regionally integrated fares, service planning, and customer experience are practically universal attributes of public transit systems in Europe’s largest and most transit-rich metropolitan areas, and are made possible by regional Public Transport Authorities (PTAs) - or network managers - that have the legal responsibility to organize public transportation.

This was one of the key messages from Seamless Bay Area’s November 2, 2023 webinar with Thomas Geier, Policy Advisor for European Metropolitan Transport Authorities (EMTA), an association of 34 network manager authorities across Europe, promoting best practices and knowledge sharing among its members. EMTA’s members - which include Transport for London, Greater Paris’s Ile-de-France Mobilite, Barcelona’s Autoritat del Transport Metropolità, and other regions - together manage public transportation for 110 million Europeans. While each member has a unique governance structure, set of responsibilities, and local history - all oversee a similar set of transit system functions in order to effectively manage integrated, customer-focused affordable service across regions that often, like the Bay Area, have many different transit operators and jurisdictions.

The webinar can be viewed in full on Seamless Bay Area’s YouTube channel or below.

Seamless Bay Area’s webinar comes as the Bay Area takes its first steps toward setting up a preliminary network management structure, and considers how to strengthen coordination in connection with asking legislators and voters to support a 2026 regional ballot measure for additional transit funding.

Network Managers in Europe oversee a similar set of common transit system functions

Geier provided an overview of the basic common functions of most PTAs across Europe - including overseeing an integrated fare system, leading customer service, leading integrated service planning, and administering contracts with transport operators to provide service according to regional standards and plans.

This largely aligns with prior research completed by Mineta Transportation Institute research from 2020 surveying ten high ridership transit systems across Europe, Canada, and Australia.

Separation of network management and oversight from operations

Geier noted that most PTAs don’t directly operate service - with the major exception of Transport for London. Rather, most PTAs define desired service levels and quality standards in partnership with municipalities, and procure the necessary services from a set of public and/or private operators.

He noted that this separation of responsibilities enables the overall goals of the system and overall funding levels to be defined by policymakers, freeing up operators to focus on efficient and customer-focused operations. “There are certain roles that should be taken care of by something that is under public oversight and there are other roles that are best done under a somewhat commercial situation.”

Variety of governance and organizational structures can work

Diagram from Geier’s presentation showing various governance model paths of European network managers, including, when a region consists of more than one jurisdiction, the option of having a specialized government agency or a limited company.

Geier explained a variety of different potential governance models for PTAs, including ones that are specialized government agencies that cover multiple jurisdictions, such as Vervoerregio Amsterdam. He also noted several, such as Oslo’s Ruter, were set up as special purpose publicly-owned ‘limited companies’ with appointed boards of directors, “to be more agile”. EMTAs members exemplify various governance models that provide democratic legitimacy - being ultimately accountable to elected governments - while delivering results for riders.

A best practice for effective network management governance is an oversight body that has a clear mandate, but that can fulfill that mandate flexibly - that is supervised in order to deliver key outcomes - “rather than having a political debate about each network or system change”.

Evolution paths generally begin with focus on fare integration, then expand to other areas

Integrated 72 hour ticket in Barcelona, valid on all modes of transit within ‘Zone 1’ of the region’s regional transit network, managed by ATM.

The ‘typical’ PTA begins with a focus on integrating fares across transit operators, as a means of building ridership and improving the customer experience. The positive experience of integrating fares usually leads the PTA to take on other shared responsibilities over time, including an increased role in service planning and other common functions.

As PTAs take on more responsibilities, they must bring on the relevant expertise. Geier noted that by taking on additional responsibilities, they are actually increasing efficiency rather than adding additional bureaucracy. He stated “We’re not creating new work and new staff, we’re bundling things.” He also indicated that PTAs are constantly learning and evolving - underscoring the importance of belonging to a knowledge network like EMTA, where PTA staff can learn from the experiences of other regions about to undertake new initiatives.

He also explained that, while integration often begins with informal relationships and agreements to coordinate service, integration is usually formalized through legislation.

Schedule coordination is most critical for transit routes with limited frequency

Passengers waiting at night at bus stop in Copenhagen. Low frequency routes at night are among the most important to be coordinated; Copenhagen’s regional network manager Movia is a member of EMTA.

A common response to the call for timed connections here in the Bay Area is that the focus should instead be on increasing frequencies, because frequent, reliable service eliminates the need for timed connections. While Seamless Bay Area certainly agrees that increasing frequencies - requiring additional operations funding - is the best solution to reduce transfer times and increase, increasing frequencies to every 15 minutes or less is never going to be possible on a large share of transit routes - or at all times of day - given current land use and current funding levels.

Low frequency routes are also common across Europe. Geier underscored the importance of coordinated schedules especially for those situations where high frequency service is impossible, such as late night service and or service to rural areas. In describing the Vienna region’s approach to coordinated schedules, he explained “When you have lower frequencies, local agencies must abide by the integrated planning of the region's needs so that riders have proper connection… The lower frequency, the more important is the integrated regional planning of services.”

No examples of regions choosing to abandon integration

Metro station in Warsaw, another member of the EMTA network. Many of EMTA’s members embracing the most extensive regional integration and innovative policies are its Eastern European members.

Geier was not aware of a single one of EMTA’s members that has, after taking initial steps toward deeper integration, opted to stop or reverse course. On the contrary, he indicated that upon creating an organization that was accountable for improving the customer journey, and beginning to deliver improvements, such as fare integration - movement away from integration “is impossible.” Due to their track records of success, in Europe, an increasing number of national governments are choosing to recognize and even give special status to the role of PTAs.

A Next Step: MTC should learn from those with experience and become member of EMTA

While the webinar illustrated how European regions have a lot of lessons for the Bay Area, the Bay Area has an opportunity to plug directly into EMTA's knowledge network. Geier noted that EMTA membership is not limited to European agencies, and therefore MTC, the agency leading initial steps toward network management in the Bay Area, could become a member of EMTA in order to be able to benefit from the experience of peer agencies.

By becoming a member of EMTA, key staff involved in building MTC’s network management capacity would be able to access its network of resources. Geier noted that there is precedent for this - Montreal’s newly established network manager, Autorité régionale de transport métropolitain (ARTM), joined EMTA when it was being established precisely for this reason.

Given the tremendous energy and investment going on in the Bay Area to advance network management, Seamless Bay Area strongly encourages MTC to consider joining an association like EMTA in order to benefit from highly effective network managers in Europe.