Scale Economies of the Franchised Buses and Ferries of Hong Kong, 1948–1998

Abstract

The privatization of state transport operators has been driven by empirical discoveries in transport economic research of the constant or even diseconomies of scale of these operators. With reference to public records and official statistics, this paper is an initial attempt to examine the scale economies of and output relationship between major bus and ferry operators in Hong Kong during the period 1948–1998. The two franchised bus and two franchised ferry companies each experienced unique scale effects during different periods and correlated with each other in terms of production. The paper will also discuss the possible reasons for this phenomenon and policy concerns related to this finding.

Out of sight, out of mind: A comparative study of public bus terminals as civic spaces

“…They are all profitable, though adjustment in fares requires permission from the Transport Department. For example bus fares were not allowed to rise from 1946 to 1976, forcing the franchisees to make profits by expanding their scale of operation and through innovations (Lai, Chau, & Cheung, 2012;Lai & Lorne, 2012). Since 1976, adjustment in fares has continued to be subject to government approval.…”

Tamaño óptimo de las empresas de transporte colectivo que operan en el Área Metropolitana de Mendoza (Argentina), 2005-2012

“…Investigaciones empíricas en diversos países y distintos períodos de tiempo han arrojado resultados diferentes (economías de escala crecientes, constantes y decrecientes), como se muestra en la tabla 1. Según se observa en la literatura, no se puede establecer una conclusión general respecto a la presencia o ausencia de economías de escala en el mercado de transporte colectivo (Berechman & Giuliano, 1985;Hensher, 1987;Lai et al, 2012). En estos términos, no es acertada, a priori, la afirmación de que las empresas de mayor tamaño sean más eficientes en la prestación del servicio que aquellas más pequeñas, puesto que este resultado depende de diversas variables con particularidades diferentes en el mercado de transporte colectivo de cada territorio.…”