Passenger transport authority

Where there is a duly constituted and accountable (passenger) transport authority for an urban area, then this is likely to have been given the powers to determine fare policy and practice at the tactical level consistent with the overall strategic objectives set for the sector. An active authority may also take control over the revenue collection and fare validation processes, though the actual delivery of these may be sub-contracted to an agency.

Where there isn’t such an entity, those powers may be held (formally or informally) by central government through a sector ministry.  In some cases passenger transport fares may have been deregulated as part of wider economic reforms, but it is rare for there to be no form of control over these because of the obvious political sensitivities.

Clearly it is important to understand who holds the ultimate responsibility for determining fares in an urban area, and what freedoms an operator has in this regard, before seeking to design the preferred fare collection system.