Evaluating Urban Buses Performance: A Comparative Analysis of Brazilian Methodologies

Brazilian urban buses are operated by private enterprises under administrative contracts to localtransport authorities. Usual contract duration is five-to-seven years, but competitive re-tendering maybe avoided through a renewing option to be applied if incumbent presents a good performance. Insome cities, however, federal mandate of compulsory tendering begins to be followed. In the twocases, some local authorities have developed methodologies for evaluating operators performance. Inthis paper, we analyse methodologies being used in two Brazilian local bus systems Recife andBelo Horizonte , with the objective of verifying their ability to induce competitive behaviours in theoperators and their fitness to local authorities goals. Conclusions show that examined evaluationmethodologies are limited mechanisms concerning the achievement of objectives likecompetitiveness, improvement of service quality and productive efficiency.