Amman, Nov. 15 (Petra) -- The Land Transport Regulatory Commission's (LTRC) board of directors, chaired by Transport Minister Nidal Qatamin, has approved the technical and analytical findings of two studies proposing incentives to modernize public transport fleets, encourage corporate-based operations and introduce nighttime fares.

In a statement Sunday, the commission said the proposals would be implemented gradually, beginning with selected routes before expanding to other governorates based on performance assessments and periodic reports submitted to the board.

Implementation will involve consultations with residents, local communities, governors, district administrators, municipal officials and transport operators to identify priority routes, service gaps and travel needs.

Residents will help identify routes requiring improvements and periods of high demand, while local authorities will coordinate consultations and establish priorities. Operators will participate in fleet modernization, electronic payment systems, scheduling and the establishment of companies responsible for managing and operating services.

Fleet Modernization and Operating Incentives The first study found that 660 of the 1,256 routes examined, or 52.5%, operate with just one vehicle. Another 998 routes have three vehicles or fewer, while 1,107 routes, representing 88.1% of those studied, operate with no more than five vehicles.

Of the 3,561 vehicles covered by the study, 1,864, or 52.3%, were manufactured in 2020 or earlier and operate on routes served by five vehicles or fewer. These include 637 vehicles on single-vehicle routes, 443 on two-vehicle routes and 317 on three-vehicle routes.

The findings place routes with limited fleets at the forefront of modernization and operational restructuring efforts.

The study proposes allowing individual operators to form transport companies that centrally manage vehicles, schedules and service frequencies. Additional vehicles could be assigned to routes according to demand, subject to LTRC approval, without requiring existing routes to be merged.

It also proposes three incentives, each calculated as a percentage of a route's basic fare. To qualify for an incentive, at least 50% of the vehicles operating on the route must meet its requirements.

A 10% incentive would apply when individual operators consolidate under a company that manages services and complies with approved schedules and service standards.

A 15% incentive would be granted for installing and operating intelligent transport systems, including electronic payment, vehicle tracking and surveillance cameras, with the relevant data made available to the commission. Operators would bear installation, operating and maintenance costs.

A 20% incentive would apply to fleet replacement, provided new vehicles meet the required specifications. Replacement minibuses must have been manufactured within the past five years, while larger buses must have been manufactured within the past eight years.

The combined incentives would be capped at JD0.10 for one incentive, JD0.20 for two and JD0.25 for all three, before the final fare is rounded up to the nearest JD0.05. Each incentive would be calculated separately against the basic fare, with a uniform final fare applied across the route. Eligibility would depend on continued compliance, and incentives could be suspended or withdrawn for violations.

Under the study's examples, qualifying for all three incentives would raise a JD0.30 fare to JD0.45, a JD0.50 fare to JD0.75 and a JD0.75 fare to JD1 after rounding.

For passengers making 50 trips a month, the additional monthly cost in these examples would range from JD7.50 to JD12.50.

Nighttime Fares and Evening Services The second study addresses declining public transport availability in the evening, with many routes ceasing operations before 8 p.m. despite continued demand from shift workers, evening students, patients and their companions.

It proposes a nighttime fare supplement for trips departing from transport terminals between 7 p.m. and the end of each route's approved operating hours.

The study examined 1,629 routes served by 5,209 vehicles, divided into five categories according to basic fares and route lengths.

The two categories with basic fares of JD1 or less account for 1,366 routes and 3,798 vehicles, representing approximately 84% of the routes and 73% of the vehicles covered by the study.

In the first category, where the average route length is 11 kilometers, a JD0.30 fare would rise to JD0.50 at night, while a JD0.50 fare would increase to JD0.70.

To collect the nighttime supplement, operators would be required to provide buses at terminals, follow approved routes, fares and published schedules, and depart on time without waiting for vehicles to fill.

Compliance would be monitored through electronic tracking and field inspections, with operators facing the withdrawal of nighttime fare privileges for violations.

Phased Implementation and Monitoring The LTRC will determine the initial implementation areas in consultation with residents, local authorities, municipalities and operators. Routes, operating hours and fares will be announced before the measures take effect.

Performance assessments will track the number of modernized buses, adoption of electronic payment systems, progress in consolidating individual operators into companies, schedule reliability, evening trip frequency, passenger waiting times and complaints concerning services and fares.

The findings will be submitted periodically to the board to determine necessary adjustments, subsequent implementation phases and priorities for expansion across the governorates.

//Petra// AJ