Exploring the Safety Performance of Bus Companies with/without Bus Vehicle Ownership

There is extensive literature exploring risk factors of bus safety (characterised by different measurable safety indicators). However, no studies have yet addressed the impact of vehicle ownership (i.e. how a bus operator manages its vehicle fleets) on bus safety. Theories in the taxi, hire car and trucking industries suggest a positive association between vehicle ownership and safety. There has remained an absence of studies investigating whether these findings can be translated to the bus industry. This thesis, therefore, explores how and why bus safety performance differs among route bus operators by vehicle ownership.