ABSTRACT
It is a key feature of the European social model that public transport, in particular at the local level, is being provided by public organisations. Regarding European employment models, public transport is among the few sectors that comprise “good bad jobs” for unskilled workers with high levels of job security and autonomy that are highly unionised (Wickham and Latniak 2010, 160). Liberalisation and privatisation in this sector affect both the character of services and the quality of jobs. Yet, the developments in Europe’s local public transport are highly diverse—not only at local, but also at national levels. While some member states liberalised the sector as early as the 1980s, others relied on regional or local governments to provide transport services or to commission companies to do so. Within our sample of six EU member states, UK and Sweden were forerunners who liberalised and to a large extent also privatised local public transport already in the mid-1980s. Bus transport in the UK outside London is a rare example of competition in the market, which means that companies compete for passengers on the same lines. In contrast, companies in London and in Sweden compete for contracts issued by local or regional authorities. These contracts imply the exclusive but temporary right to provide transport services on particular lines or in the respective region. In all other countries under investigation, municipalities or regional transport associations organise bus and local rail services, authorities tender contracts for services or they grant non-competitive licences.
