Person‐environment fit and transfer of training

Results support the hypothesis that individuals transfer their training to the job when their ‘real’ environment matches or fits the preferred ‘ideal’ environment. Five aspects of environment were assessed: supervisory encouragement, sufficient resources, worker’s perceived freedom, workload pressures, and perceived worker creativity. In addition to the traditional criteria of hiring people whose skills match the job, organizations might consider creating environments to match employees’ needs.     

Stakeholder perspectives on the current and future roles of UK bus-based Park and Ride

UK bus-based Park and Ride (P&R) has increased significantly in popularity over the past 40 years although there are doubts over its role in reducing car use. This paper presents the findings from interviews with eight key stakeholders involved in UK P&R, which sought to provide insights into the popularity of P&R, particularly at the local government level, its success, and how the concept of P&R can be developed in the future to improve its role in reducing car use whilst maintaining its popularity. It is suggested that there are a range of goals for the use of P&R which extend beyond traffic reduction. It is discussed how there may be potential to develop the concept, particularly by decentralising P&R sites and developing their role as interchanges for public transport.     

UK local authority attitudes to Park and Ride

Although the high level of implementation activity within the UK would suggest that bus-based Park and Ride (P&R) is a favoured policy option, little evidence exists which tests this assumption empirically or explores it in detail. In addition, a growing body of evidence indicates that P&R may increase the vehicle miles travelled (VMT) of its users. This paper reports on a recent survey of UK local authorities, both with and without current P&R provision, to understand the reasons behind its popularity and the level of recognition of its effectiveness in reducing car use. Particular consideration is given to the relationship between P&R and conventional public transport (particularly bus) services, as the transfer of passengers from these can have a significant impact on the effectiveness of P&R. The potential future growth of P&R is also addressed. The results suggest a number of divergences with the empirical evidence, particularly with regards the traffic effects of P&R. P&R is predicted to grow but there is support for implementing P&R in ways that may increase its effectiveness.     

Politicians and the future

Politicians have a part to play, a part not of their own choosing. Their actions or motives are not determined by their own views of the future. Thus a gulf exists between politicians and forecasters. For the politician, a forecast that is wrong is irrelevant; and a forecast that is right is superfluous.     

Market testing of a major cassava flour product in the Accra metropolitan area*

The current study analyses consumer judgements about some existing as well as newly introduced brands of a processed cassava food product (fufu flour) by means of market testing. Except for colour, the respondents’ evaluation of the sensory attributes of the various fufu flours that they have consumed did not have much significant differences. Also, no significant differences in sensory attributes were identified when the fufu flour brands were compared with traditional fufu, except for hand‐feel, smoothness and elasticity. In addition, no significant differences were observed in the prices of the various fufu flour brands in comparison with the equivalent price of traditional fufu. The study finds diversification of the marketing outlet for fufu flour as a major factor that could contribute to improving the awareness of the product.     

Kickstarting growth in bus patronage: Targeting support at the margins

This paper presents an assessment of the performance of the Kickstart and Bus Route Development Grant schemes in England and Scotland which aimed to move marginal or new bus services towards commercial operation. Three key aspects are addressed, namely: the bidding and implementation process; performance against objectives and the future potential of the approach. The evidence suggests that this form of transformational support appears to offer a better return than subsidy that supports the status quo or indeed patronage based support.     

How a rapid modal convergence into a universal automated taxi service could be the future for local passenger transport

The world is changing rapidly. Yet a common assumption is that cars, buses, and taxis will remain the dominant local passenger transport modes in the coming decades. This concept paper draws on literature sources and on discussions with industry stakeholders to look anew at the local passenger transport sector in the light of broader societal trends to suggest an alternative future, and to offer insights to practitioners and policy-makers. The paper finds that the traditional modes of car, bus and taxi are slowly beginning to lose market share to intermediate modes such as shared taxis, lift-sharing schemes, demand-responsive transport services and car clubs whilst numerous technological and market trends are combining to accelerate this process of ‘modal convergence’. Taken together, these trends could revolutionise how we move about, with one possible outcome being the emergence of a single dominant passenger mode of an automated universal taxi system or dial-a-pod.