Factors affecting the safety performance of bus companies-The experience of Taiwan bus deregulation

This study was undertaken to explore the factors affecting the safety performance of bus companies in Taiwan. A conceptual framework was developed based on the theory of organizational accidents. Environmental and organizational factors were assumed to determine the safety performance of bus companies. Since the deregulation of intercity passenger transportation in 1995 the bus transportation industry in Taiwan has been restructured, and this provides an opportunity to gain insight into the factors that influence the safety performance of bus companies. The study results show that the bus companies on joining intercity bus services in Taiwan did experience higher risks of being involved in major injury and minor injury accidents. The study results provide convincing evidence that organizational factors, including driver-specific, vehicle-specific and general management factors, have significant effects on the safety performance of bus companies. Therefore, if the economic deregulation was implemented with some safety regulation policies, we might have the opportunity to pursue a better safety performance by the bus transport industry as a whole, rather than just prevent the deterioration of the existing safety performance. Furthermore, the limited resources available to monitor the safety performance of bus companies are suggested to focus on those companies that run intercity services as well as those companies of small size, having older fleets, and a higher traffic conviction rate.