How to create an effective business in passenger transportation by minibus. Passenger transportation and its planning

Running your own business means working 80 hours a week so you don't have to work 40 hours a week for someone else. (Ramona Arnett)

Passenger transportation is the know-how of today and an excellent business for those who want to learn its basics. The campaign market is very large, but there is not much competition as such. There are several types of passenger transportation and each entrepreneur chooses his own type for business. Passenger transportation entrepreneurs offer their services for transporting passengers and people use them with pleasure. The emphasis of the passenger transportation business plan should be the profitability of this business project. You need to take a very responsible approach to drawing up a production plan and take into account everything down to the smallest detail.

Descriptionenterprises

Types of transportation are varied:

• urban mode of transport,
• intercity transportation,
• taxi service.

Passenger transportation is a very profitable type of business. For the sake of his income, you can endure some period of inconvenience in connection with the preparation of the necessary package of documents for opening a business. The next stage is to register the business itself in one of the following ways: register either as a private entrepreneur, or register an LLC if it is an expanded enterprise. In addition, obtain a license to transport passengers, hire drivers, and begin creating a business plan for the successful development of a passenger transportation business.

Services

We ask passengers to start kissing right now so that the plane departs on time. (Advertisement at New Orleans Airport)

The main goal of the passenger transportation business is to transport passengers by various modes of transport. And as statistics show, one of the most popular means of transport for passenger transportation among the population is the bus. From a financial point of view, the bus is quite profitable. It has one more feature in terms of passenger transportation - it can be used both in urban areas and intercity. And this factor has a positive effect on increasing profits, but it needs to be used in business development. In addition, advertisers are happy to use the interior and body of buses to advertise their products. This is also very good for the development of the passenger transportation business.

Room

A business plan always contains information about finding suitable office space. But the main thing about it is the presence of a large enough area for parking nearby. It must be guarded and surrounded by a fence. Also make sure that your cars can be technically serviced in the parking area.

Staff

An important factor here is hiring drivers. Of course, this will partly depend on the number of vehicles for transportation. But for high-quality and safe transportation, it is important to hire experienced, very responsible, competent drivers. Indeed, in this type of business the human factor plays a leading role. And the profit in this case will also depend on the drivers. A driver who has little credibility will have few passengers boarding the bus. GAZelle drivers, for example, must have at least three years of driving experience and preferably own a car of this type.

For 350 rubles, from our partners, with a quality guarantee. It is not publicly available on the Internet.
Contents of the business plan:
1. Privacy
2. Summary
3. Project implementation stages
4. Characteristics of the object
5. Marketing plan
6. Technical and economic data of equipment
7. Financial plan
8. Risk assessment
9. Financial and economic justification for investments
10. Conclusions

* The calculations use average data for Russia

1. PROJECT SUMMARY

The goal of the project is to organize a company providing passenger transportation by road (minibuses), mainly along tourist routes. The company is located in Rostov-on-Don. Orders are received from city tour operators offering medium- and long-distance tourist trips.

One of the main factors for the success of the project is the increase in the popularity of domestic tourism in Russia due to a decrease in real disposable income of the population, and as a result, a refusal to travel abroad. Competitiveness is based on: high quality of transport (unlike most competitors) and the quality of work of drivers - first of all, the presence of many years of experience, responsibility, accuracy, and the absence of bad habits.

In order to implement the project, three used minibuses with a capacity of 20 people each are purchased; class of cars is premium, which means a high level of travel comfort and operational reliability.

The project has moderate investment attractiveness over a five-year period based on the initial data. However, after three to five years from the start of the project, it is possible to purchase additional vehicles, which will increase the efficiency and profitability of the project. The decision to purchase will be made by the project initiator based on an analysis of the current financial situation of the project, economic conditions and other factors. In Table. Table 1 shows the main performance indicators of the project. Thus, it makes sense to consider the planned results of the project not only from a financial point of view, but also as an opportunity to earn a business reputation and expand the client base, which will allow for further development of the project with an increase in profitability and other financial indicators.

Table 1. Key project performance indicators

2. DESCRIPTION OF THE COMPANY AND INDUSTRY

Since the main sales channel of the project is working with tourism operators organizing trips around Russia, it is necessary to consider the market for tourism services in Russia. Tourism in Russia today is subject to two strongest multidirectional influence factors. On the one hand, this is a difficult and unstable situation in the country’s economy, a decrease in the solvency of the population. On the other hand, this same factor, as well as the blocking of such popular tourist destinations as Turkey and Egypt, lead to the fact that the volume of domestic tourism in the country tends to increase.

According to ATOR (Association of Tour Operators), business profitability in the tour operator segment has decreased significantly in recent years. If in 2008 it was about 5%, then in 2013-2014 it dropped to 2%. This logically led to a reduction in the number of players in the market - according to the results of 2015, by no less than 30% in total; the number of tour operators is expected to increase by 10%. From a certain point of view, this can be considered as a reorganization of the market, which will ensure its higher stability. However, one should not expect a significant increase in business profitability, which complicates the activities of the remaining players.

Also, according to ATOR, in 2015 the number of tourists in some regions of the country decreased by almost 80%, the number of companies operating in outbound tourism - by almost a third; the number of program flights in some regional cities has decreased by 30-55%. This means the return of travel through Moscow, which will inevitably lead to a significant increase in the cost of travel packages.

This situation should expectedly lead to an increase in domestic tourism. However, despite the relatively low cost of domestic tours, the country does not have a “streaming” tourism product. Among the most popular destinations with high demand growth potential, experts name: the Black Sea coast of Crimea and the Krasnodar Territory, Siberia, the Urals, the North Caucasus, Tatarstan, the Trans-Siberian Railway, and the Golden Ring.

One of the areas of tourism development in Russia is inbound tourism. This area requires active development: today there are representative offices of 43 foreign ministries for tourism in the country, while there are no similar Russian representative offices abroad. However, the first steps are already being taken. For example, within the framework of one of the largest international tourism exhibitions in the Asian market, Beijing International Tourism Expo-2016, the first stage of the Russian Tourism Road Show Visit Russia presentation tour was held, aimed at stimulating the tourist flow from China. In general, it should be noted that from 2009 to 2015, the tourist flow from China to Russia grew annually by an average of 40%. In 2015, more than 1 million Chinese residents visited Russia.

According to carrier forecasts, about 7.2 million people will visit the Russian Black Sea coast in 2016.

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The main trends of recent years should also include the refusal of Russians to take package tours. Independent planning and organization of tourist trips significantly reduces the cost of travel. The Internet is becoming the main tool for the development of independent tourism. Sales growth in the online travel segment amounted to 17% over the past year.

According to the Federal Air Transport Agency, the number of passengers in January-October 2015 on domestic routes increased by 15.5%, and on international routes decreased by 13.9%.

It is also impossible not to take into account government regulation of the industry, aimed at tightening the liability of operators and agencies for failure to fulfill obligations to clients. In particular, amendments made to Federal Law No. 49 “On strengthening the liability of tour operators” involve the creation of a personal liability fund for tour operators in the field of outbound tourism, which is intended to pay compensation to tourists in the event of failure to fulfill obligations by the tour operator. The fund will be formed through the annual contribution of the tour operator in the amount of 1% of the total price of the tourism product for the previous year and will become a necessary condition for the company to enter the Unified Register of Market Players. The changes will come into force on January 1, 2017.

The company is located in Rostov-on-Don. Rostov-on-Don is the capital of the Southern Federal District, the administrative center of the Rostov region, the largest economic, industrial, cultural and historical center of the South of Russia. The city's population is 1.1 million people. The population of the urban agglomeration is 2.2 million people.

Due to the peculiarities of the city’s location, Rostov-on-Don is called the “Gateway of the Caucasus”. The Southern Federal District (with the annexed Crimean Federal District) and the neighboring North Caucasus Federal District (part of the Southern Federal District that separated in 2010) are rich in tourist attractions, nature reserves, and recreational areas, which makes the region attractive for tourist trips, both short-term and long-term. The region is distinguished by a wide variety of climatic zones, topography, as well as the richness and diversity of folk traditions. First of all, this concerns the republics of the North Caucasus. From Rostov-on-Don you can comfortably organize trips to Kabardino-Balkaria, North Ossetia, Ingushetia, Chechnya, Karachay-Cherkessia.

The most popular directions of so-called bus tours:

Krasnodar region - beach holidays in summer, ski resorts in winter (Krasnaya Polyana)

Crimea – summer beach and excursion holidays

Adygea – visiting recreational natural areas (all year round)

Stavropol region – boarding houses of the Caucasian mineral waters with additional excursions

Republics of the North Caucasus (Karachay-Cherkessia, Kabardino-Balkaria, North Ossetia, Chechnya, Ingushetia) - mainly so-called “weekend tours” with a rich excursion program, ski resorts

“Golden Ring” - popular tours around the cities of the Central Federal District

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If there is no load from regular partners, it is possible to operate charter flights to any city in Russia. The most popular destinations from Rostov-on-Don: Moscow, Yerevan, Grozny.

3. DESCRIPTION OF GOODS AND SERVICES

The project provides services in the field of intercity passenger transportation by premium minibuses with a capacity of 20 people each. Today, the tourist transportation market presents mainly minibuses of the mid-price segment, providing a minimum level of comfort. At the same time, they are in no less than satisfactory condition. Despite the fact that the project purchases used minibuses, the condition of each of them can be assessed as good or better.

The minibuses used by the project have sliding passenger compartment doors, which makes it easier to board and disembark passengers, including in limited space. The large glass area is ideal for tourist routes - thanks to it, every passenger has the opportunity to get maximum visibility during the excursion. The cars are equipped with high-power heaters and air conditioners, which allows you to provide the necessary microclimate in the cabin in any weather. Soft reclining seats allow you to comfortably spend even a long trip. Each car is equipped with a TV and a number of speakers in the passenger compartment - thus, tourists can watch entertainment programs and films during the trip, or video excursions; A modern head-mounted multimedia system is compatible with almost all audio and video formats. The cars are also equipped with microphones, which allows the trip leader or tour guide to transmit information to the passenger compartment with maximum comfort.

For safety reasons, all vehicles are equipped with GLONASS systems, which allow you to control the speed and location of the minibus. In the event of an emergency, the system transmits a signal to the operators of the Ministry of Emergency Situations. The cars are also equipped with an electronic speed limiter, which does not allow the driver to reach a speed higher than the maximum allowed, which increases the safety of the trip.

With a capacity of 20 seats, the number of seats for passengers during a standard tourist trip is 17. Three seats in the driver's compartment are reserved for the driver, tour leader and guide.

The cost of the service is calculated based, on the one hand, on its cost, on the other, on the results of an assessment of the competitive environment. The level of prices offered by the project can be assessed as the market average, despite the fact that the quality of services is significantly higher than the market average. The cost is calculated per 1 km of track and consists of such parameters as:

Cost of fuels and lubricants

Driver salary

Depreciation

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The amount of depreciation charges is determined by the linear method based on the vehicle's maximum mileage of 1,000,000 km, which approximately equals a service life of five years. At the current price level, the cost of providing the service is 30 rubles/km.

4. SALES AND MARKETING

A description of the project's services is given in Section 3 of this business plan. A single tariff is used for all trips; the service is not diversified by route duration, bus load and other parameters. At the same time, according to the results of the market analysis, the proposed price level is at the average market level: the price range across the market in the region under study is from 28 to 33 rubles per kilometer. To serve tourism industry enterprises on similar routes, minibuses (capacity up to 20 people), as well as small and medium-capacity buses (capacity up to 60 people) are usually used. The advantage of minibuses over larger vehicles is especially noticeable on mountain routes - some roads have very small turning radii or overhanging rocks; a large vehicle cannot pass. In addition, given the difficult economic situation in the country, not every operator is ready to book a large-capacity bus in advance, not knowing whether there will be a sufficient number of tourists. For this reason, small operators prefer to book one minibus, and, if necessary, order another one.

Also, a study of the competitive environment shows that today tourist transportation services are provided by at least 30 enterprises in the region with different fleet compositions. At the same time, only 25% of them have cars in good and excellent condition. The rest of the transport is in unsatisfactory condition. Periodic breakdowns occur on the routes; tourists complain about the shabby interior and lack of comfort. According to reviews from tourists and tour operators themselves, at least 30% of drivers do not comply with safety rules, speed limits and other traffic regulations. Thus, the competitiveness of the project is based on: high quality, reliability and comfort of transport, as well as the professionalism of drivers. Some little things are decisive for operators: a working microphone, heating and air conditioning, a properly functioning multimedia system, and so on.

The primary target audience of the project is tourism operators in Rostov-on-Don and the region, who independently organize trips along routes up to 1,500 km long. The project initiator and the sales specialist are directly involved in attracting clients and expanding the client base. Considering the specifics of this type of activity, active advertising does not make much sense; the emphasis is on direct contact with a potential client. The peculiarity of the market is that the number of regional operators is limited, and their contact details are known. Thus, periodic personal meetings with responsible representatives of operators and maintaining contact with them are necessary.

However, it is planned to promote the project’s services on fb.com and Instagram with a minimum budget (up to 500 rubles per month) with a description of the transport, photographs of the interior, and photographs from trips. The target audience is managers of enterprises organizing corporate trips, as well as individuals planning weddings and other events with a large number of guests. The purpose of the advertising campaign is to provide backup capacity for the project during the low season or in case of market fluctuations.

Demand for project services has a pronounced seasonality. The high season falls on the summer months - the period of vacations and trips to the sea. Maximum load is planned at this time. The minimum occupancy level occurs in March and October. Surges in demand also occur locally - during public holidays lasting three days or more: February 23, March 8, November 4, May holidays, New Year holidays. The seasonality factor is taken into account when forming the financial plan.

Planned sales volumes are calculated based on an average daily trip length of 800 km and 20 working days per month for each of the three cars. Seasonality of demand is shown in Fig. 1.

Table 2. Planned sales volumes

Figure 1. Seasonality of demand for project services (consecutive numbering of months, the first month is January)

5. PRODUCTION PLAN

Given the specific features of the project, renting space is not required. In the time intervals between trips, minibuses are located at a parking area owned by the project initiator. All service business processes (accounting, machine maintenance, pre-trip medical examinations, and so on) are outsourced. The only exception is a sales specialist working in home office mode.

The minibuses purchased for the project belong to the premium class and have a high level of comfort for both drivers and passengers. Cars are purchased with relatively low mileage and in good condition. Before concluding an agreement with the seller, they must undergo diagnostics of all components and assemblies. During operation, the machines undergo monthly diagnostics and maintenance.

The production plan is fully consistent with the sales plan.

6. ORGANIZATIONAL PLAN

The entire project implementation process can be divided into the following stages:

Pre-investment (at the time of creating the business plan has already been completed) - the stage of assessing the prospects of the project, searching for sources of investment and fixed assets, drawing up a feasibility study (business plan), reaching preliminary agreements with investors, clients and suppliers

Investment – ​​acquisition of fixed assets, conclusion of contracts, hiring of personnel (duration – 3 weeks)

Growth stage – active promotion, expansion of the customer base, reaching sales targets

Maturity stage – ongoing work within the framework of planned financial indicators

According to the decision of the project initiator, at the maturity stage it is possible to additionally invest funds in expanding the project through the purchase of additional minibuses. The decision is made based on an analysis of the market and competitive environment.

The legal form of the project was chosen as an individual entrepreneur, the form of taxation was the simplified tax system with the object of taxation “income” (6% rate).

The organizational structure of the project is simple. The staffing table includes only drivers on a piece rate and a sales specialist on a time basis. Social contributions for drivers are included in the cost of services. All employees of the enterprise are directly subordinate to the project initiator, who performs the functions of director, marketer, sales specialist and substitute driver.

When selecting personnel, significant attention is paid to the professionalism of drivers. It is assessed according to the following criteria:

Driving experience

Average annual mileage for the last three years

Presence of gross traffic violations (information from last place of work)

Responsibility

No bad habits

Table 3. Staffing table

7. FINANCIAL PLAN

The financial plan of the project is drawn up for a five-year period and includes all income and expenses of the project, and takes into account the influence of seasonality on the level of demand. Income refers to the project’s revenue from operating activities, while other types of income (from investment activities or from the sale of fixed assets) are not provided for by the project. Revenue from the first year of project implementation – 11.52 million rubles; net profit (after taxes) – 5.8 million rubles. Revenue for the second year and subsequent years is 13.1 million rubles, net profit is 6.5 million rubles.

Investment costs for the project amount to 5.55 million rubles, of which the bulk is aimed at purchasing fixed assets (minibuses). A characteristic feature of the project is the almost complete absence of overhead costs, which makes it possible to achieve payback already from the first month of project implementation. Thus, there is no need to form a working capital fund.

The project initiator’s own funds are 3.0 million rubles. The lack of funds is planned to be covered by attracting a bank loan for a period of 36 months at 18% per annum. Loan repayment is carried out monthly in annuity payments, credit holidays are three months.

Table 4. Investment costs

Calculation of variable costs and service costs is given in Section 3 of this business plan. Fixed costs include monthly vehicle maintenance, driver medical examinations and other medical services, as well as business and other expenses.

Table 5. Fixed costs

A detailed financial plan is given in Appendix. 1.

8. EVALUATION OF EFFECTIVENESS

The effectiveness and investment attractiveness of the project are assessed based on a detailed analysis of the financial plan, cash flows, as well as simple and integral performance indicators (Table 1). To account for changes in the value of money over time, the discounted cash flow method is used. The discount rate is set at 5%, which is lower than the current risk-free rate (yield on government bonds with similar investment parameters); this level is justified by the fact that this part of the project is considered as a step towards business expansion, aimed at building a client base and business reputation.

The simple (PP) and discounted (DPP) payback period for the project is 12 months. Net present value (NPV) – 6.3 million rubles. Internal rate of return (IIR) – 8.85%, profitability index (PI) – 1.13.

The main task of planning passenger transportation is to ensure the most complete satisfaction of the population's travel needs with optimal use of vehicles.

Developing passenger transport plans is an extremely complex task. This is explained by the fact that the mobility of the population, under the influence of many reasons that cannot be easily calculated, is constantly changing and it is very difficult to correctly determine it in advance. At the same time, in order to organize efficient operation of passenger transport with high-quality satisfaction of the population, it is necessary to strive for the most accurate determination in terms of not only the volume, structure and distance of passenger transportation, but also the trend of their change in the future, since the need for locomotives, cars of various types depends on this type and other vehicles, as well as in investments aimed at the development and reconstruction of passenger transport.

Planning for passenger transportation is significantly different from developing plans for freight transportation. It is based primarily on reporting data, their analysis and identification of patterns in the development of passenger transportation.

The widespread use of reporting data is of particular importance in the development of ongoing passenger transportation plans. Comparison of planned indicators with their values ​​for previous years allows you to avoid mistakes when developing indicators in the annual plan. In railway transport, as a rule, most of the indicators of the passenger transportation plan, and especially for the network as a whole, change slightly from year to year. Therefore, if it is discovered that the planned indicator in the pre-planned year has sharply deviated from its value in previous years, it is necessary to find out the reason for such a sharp deviation. Thus, the first years of the formation of market relations in the country caused a significant decrease in the effective demand of the population for transportation, and, as a consequence, a large drop in the volume of passenger transportation by rail, which lasted until the second half of 1999.

Planning based on reporting data without using additional methods has a significant drawback. Reporting on passenger transportation reflects only the actual demand for transport services. Therefore, when planning the transportation of passengers on the roads, other factors influencing the volume and structure of passenger traffic are studied in detail. Analysis of the transport market is now becoming a critical part of the work on planning and organizing passenger transportation. The creation of marketing units on the roads makes it possible to analyze the population’s demand for various transportation conditions, identify the level of unsatisfied demand, its causes and the possibility of eliminating it in the planned period. In directions where, parallel to the railways, transportation is carried out by other means of communication, passenger demand for other modes of transport, the level of travel fees from competitors, trends in transportation development and other indicators are analyzed. As a result of the analysis, effective measures are developed to increase the competitiveness of railways.

Passenger transportation is planned both in general and by type of communication. Each type of passenger transportation has its own patterns of development. The growth in the volume of suburban traffic may be influenced by an increase in the frequency of trains or the opening of stopping points, changes in the work and rest regime of the population, and the expansion of the suburban area.

Changes in the effective demand of the population, the level of competitiveness of other modes of transport, the state of industry, agriculture in the economic regions of the country, the development of the transport network and other factors can dramatically change the flow of long-distance passengers. Therefore, when developing an annual plan, long-distance passenger transportation and its unevenness must be considered specifically, analyzing them for individual areas and the most important railway routes.

When planning passenger transportation, they take into account possible changes in the income of the population, tariffs of competitors, the state of the sanatorium and resort base in the country, the consequences of implemented measures to improve the quality of passenger transportation, development of services and the introduction of new types of services.

An annual passenger transportation plan is drawn up for the network as a whole and for the railways. The plan defines the following indicators: the number of passengers sent, the number of passengers transported, passenger turnover and the average travel distance. Indicators are calculated both overall and by type of message.

The volume of traffic on the network is equal to the sum of the departure of passengers from a network station and their reception from foreign roads, and the volume of traffic on roads is the sum of the departure of passengers from road stations and their reception from other roads.

Passenger turnover is calculated by multiplying the number of passengers transported by the average passenger travel distance. The average travel distance is established in the plan on the basis of reporting data, taking into account the predicted changes in the planned year.

When forecasting the volume of passenger traffic, the dynamics of the main macroeconomic indicators of the country’s socio-economic development are taken into account: population size, real income, level of industrial production, inflationary processes, etc.

Depending on the goal, passenger traffic forecasts can be developed for different periods. In practice, it is customary to develop medium-term forecasts (for 5-7 years) and for a longer term (10 or more years).

Forecasting passenger traffic, especially over a long period, is much more difficult than current planning. Over a long period of time, the structure of the communication network increases and changes, and the country's economy changes. The population's needs for movement are taking on a different character. In this regard, the possibility of widespread use of reporting data in forecasting is reduced.

To determine passenger traffic forecast indicators, various methods are used, based on identifying general patterns of changes in passenger traffic in the country. When developing short- and medium-term forecasts, the extrapolation method is used, in particular, when, as a result of an analysis of transportation over past years, the rate of change in the forecast period is established with some adjustment, reflecting the influence of various factors. However, this method does not provide the necessary forecasting accuracy due to insufficient knowledge of the patterns of changes in indicators depending on the factors influencing them. Therefore, along with the extrapolation method, other forecasting methods are used: the method of expert assessments, analogies and others.

The practice of developing forecasts for a long period is based mainly on studying changes in the population in the future and changes in its transport mobility, taking into account trends in the distribution of passenger flows by mode of transport. An analysis of various methods used in forecasting traffic for a long period shows that forecasting the volume of traffic and passenger turnover based on the transport mobility of the population provides the highest accuracy in obtaining these indicators.

Based on the projected population size and forecasting its mobility based on the number of trips, the total volume of passenger traffic for the future is determined. Passenger turnover is calculated by multiplying the population by transport mobility in passenger kilometers.

The need for movement among the population of different social groups is not the same, which is associated with their standard of living and the characteristics of their work activities. Therefore, the accuracy of predicted indicators increases if they are determined by economic regions, regions and social groups of the population (urban and rural residents, students, etc.) with a detailed analysis of trends and patterns of changes in population mobility on different types of transport.

The practice of planning and forecasting passenger transportation is systematically improved. In planning passenger transportation, scientific economic and mathematical forecasting is used based on multifactor data using mathematical methods and computer technology. Multivariate forecasts are being developed for different forecast periods.

The widespread use of computer technology in the passenger complex makes it possible to effectively use operational reporting compiled by the automated Express system for ongoing planning. It takes into account the number of tickets sold for trains and wagons of different categories in transportation directions, which is important for determining the density of passenger flows on the lines, keeps records of passengers transported free of charge, and provides other information necessary to identify demand for different transportation conditions.

Marketing is of great importance in modern conditions. Passenger transportation marketing is a management system aimed at fully and effectively satisfying the transport needs of the population.

Marketing includes:

Analysis of the state and dynamics of consumer demand in the transport services market;

Identification and study of consumer preferences;

Assessment of the external environment and the level of competition in the transport market;

Determining the capacity of the market for transport services to the population and the market share of railway transport;

Conducting market segmentation; identification of existing and promising segments of the market for transport services to the population;

Development and promotion of new transport services to the population.

The result of passenger transportation marketing is the creation of an information and analytical base for making effective management decisions to ensure the attraction of maximum passenger traffic to railway transport through a competitive tariff policy and the provision of transport services to the population of the required volume and level of quality.

The functions of conducting marketing research in the field of passenger transportation on railways should be assigned to the marketing departments of passenger service directorates.

Marketing research of passenger transportation involves a systematic analysis of the market for transport services to the population and the external environment to solve tactical and strategic problems of managing the passenger complex of railway transport. A fundamental feature of the focus of marketing research on passenger transportation is the fact that the population’s demand for transport services is almost always a secondary need, which serves to satisfy needs that are more primary in nature (work, study, recreation, treatment, etc.). In this regard, when analyzing the potential of the transport services market, it is necessary to take into account changes in primary needs depending on the level of socio-economic development of the region and the differentiation of the lifestyle of the population living in it.

Sources of information for marketing research of passenger transportation are statistical reporting data (industry and non-industry) and the results of sociological surveys (questionnaires, surveys, focus groups of the population, etc.).

An obligatory direction of marketing research of passenger transportation is to compile characteristics of the market for transport services to the population.

Compilation of transport characteristics of the region is necessary for assessing and forecasting the transport mobility of the population.

The transport characteristics should include the following sections:

The layout and length of communication routes in the region and the directions of the main passenger flows,

Number of cities with a population of more than 1 million people, from 500 thousand to 1 million people, from 300 to 500 thousand people, from 100 to 300 thousand people, from 50 to 100 thousand people, less 50 thousand people,

The total population, including urban and rural,

Number of employed people and pensioners,

Age and sex composition of the population,

Distribution of population by income level,

Social and professional composition of the population,

The number of students in daytime general education schools, students of secondary specialized and higher educational institutions,

Average per capita cash income,

Average monthly accrued salary,

Consumer price index,

Cost of a set of 19 basic food products,

Indices of physical volume of industrial production,

Indices of the volume of agricultural production in farms of all categories,

Park of personal cars for 1000 people and 100 families,

The number of passengers sent and passenger turnover of different modes of transport in the region.

Based on this information, an assessment is made of the influence of various factors on the amount of demand for passenger transportation, which is taken into account when making management decisions.

The demand for passenger transportation is influenced by a large number of factors. They can be combined into 4 groups: factors of social stability, macroeconomic, intra-industry and inter-transport. The listed factors have varying degrees of influence on the amount of demand and are of both price and non-price nature.

Factors of social stability influence the aggregate demand of the population for transport services; in addition, under their influence, the directions of passenger flows can significantly change.

Macroeconomic factors determine the real solvency of the population and the structure of the consumer budget. When analyzing their impact on the amount of demand, it is extremely important to identify different budget groups to provide a wide range of transport services (in terms of quality and price). The solvency of the population can be assessed by the purchasing power coefficient, determined by the ratio of the population’s income to the cost of the minimum consumer “basket”. The value of purchasing power coefficients for the constituent entities of the Russian Federation shows their significant differentiation, which must be taken into account when meeting the population’s demand for passenger transportation.

The influence of intra-industry factors, especially the level of tariffs, on the amount of demand is the strongest. The quality of passenger transportation, which includes such characteristics as speed, comfort, travel safety and others, along with price, determines the competitiveness of railway transport in the market and, ultimately, its attractiveness for potential passengers. The unevenness of demand across time periods and directions is a pattern that must be taken into account when forecasting traffic volumes.

Intertransport factors take into account the nature of the transport market and the type of competition existing on it. Depending on what type of competition a particular transport market belongs to, the work of the railways should be structured. In addition, the prices of competitors and the quality of the services they provide sometimes have a decisive impact on the formation of demand.

To forecast the demand for passenger transportation, it is necessary to create simulation models that take into account the influence of the most significant factors, allowing us to consider various options for the impact of railways on the transport services market.

The most important area of ​​passenger transportation marketing is obtaining information through sociological research.

Sociological research begins with elaborating the problem, putting forward goals and hypotheses, and building a theoretical model. After putting forward goals and hypotheses, a sociological research method is selected.

There are the following several methods for conducting sociological research: secondary analysis of existing sociological and marketing information (official statistics published in magazines, newsletters, reports, reference and other official literature) and empirical sociological research (interviews, focus groups, questionnaires, observations, experiments) .

The results of sociological research are summarized, mathematically averaged, the summarized data are presented in the form of statistical tables, and patterns are derived and explained. An analytical report is drawn up, including statistically processed data and conclusions drawn. The final result of the research is the drawing up of forecasts and marketing recommendations on the issues under study.

Assessing the competitiveness of railway transport in the passenger transportation market allows us to assess the effectiveness of marketing policies.

The competitiveness of railway transport can be assessed in each specific direction of passenger traffic by the “price - quality” ratio. This requires information about the full cost of the trip, including costs associated with door-to-door travel, meals, bedding, and also taking into account the system of discounts and benefits provided by various transport companies. In addition, based on expert assessments of specialists or sociological studies of potential passengers, the competitiveness of various modes of transport is ranked according to the level of quality of services provided. The competitiveness coefficient of each mode of transport carrying out passenger transportation in the direction under consideration is determined by the formula:

where is the score of the i-th quality parameter (2 - preferable, 1 - acceptable, 0 - unacceptable or not taken into account),

C full - full fare, rub.,

i- quality parameter.

The more competitive mode of transport is the one for which the competitiveness coefficient is higher.

Increasing competition between modes of transport in the market of transport services to the population requires further improvement in the quality of passenger service on the railways. Non-price factors that determine consumer preferences for a particular type of transport are of great importance. For example, according to a sociological survey, passengers consider transport safety, personal safety from attacks by criminal elements, the availability of the necessary level of comfort and service, speed of travel, and convenient scheduling as very important quality characteristics.

In recent years, in railway transport, along with the development of traditional types of services (issuance and delivery of travel documents, porter services, rest rooms for transit passengers, mother and child, luggage storage and others), service centers have been created.

The main directions of this type of activity are the provision of a wide range of services and meeting the needs of the solvent part of the population. Service centers provide the opportunity not only to purchase a train ticket, but also organize tourist transportation, book hotel rooms, offer theater tickets, legal and notary services, long-distance telephone communications, taxis, photocopying of documents, etc.

Service centers have already been created at 65 railway stations (in Moscow, Rostov, Kazan, Voronezh, St. Petersburg, Saratov, Novosibirsk, etc.).

Currently, a unified network of service centers is being created on Russian railways using the information base of the Express automated control system and modern communication means. At the same time, the railway client will have the opportunity to receive a set of services when he contacts any service center, regardless of which roads will be involved in his further service.

The railways are constantly working to improve the quality of service for passengers along the route. One of the ways to solve this problem is the formation of branded trains, consisting of cars of the last years of construction, meeting modern requirements for comfort and reliability, equipped with removable equipment and bedding of improved quality.

The interior design of these carriages creates an atmosphere of home comfort. Careful selection of train crews from among the best transport workers on a competitive basis and an increase in the types of services provided along the route made it possible to significantly improve travel conditions and increase the level of service for passengers on such trains. On these trains, passengers are offered an expanded range of tea trade (coffee, tea, soft drinks, waffles, cookies, etc.), periodicals and fiction, hygiene items and related products. Passengers also have the opportunity to order breakfasts and hot lunches from the dining car with delivery to their seat in the carriage.

There are currently 103 branded category trains operating on the railway network.

The St. Petersburg - Moscow train has been equipped with the Nikolaevsky Express train, in which the appearance and interior of the carriage and the uniform of the conductors have been changed in accordance with the style of the late 19th century.

The range of services provided to passengers on trains is constantly expanding. Thus, in the Moscow-Nizhny Novgorod, Moscow-Vladivostok service, the trains are equipped with satellite radio communications, which allows the passenger to contact any city in the world.

On the Oktyabrskaya Railway in the St. Petersburg - Moscow route, radio payphones have been installed that allow you to call all cities of Russia; Some branded trains on the routes of Siberia, the Caucasus and the Volga region have cellular communications (Moscow - Rostov, Moscow - Omsk, Moscow - Barnaul, Moscow - Ulyanovsk, Moscow - Perm, Moscow - Tomsk).

In some branded trains (Moscow - Kirov, Moscow - Perm, Moscow - Rostov, Moscow - Omsk, Moscow - Barnaul, Moscow - Novosibirsk, Moscow - Krasnoyarsk, Moscow - Irkutsk) video systems are installed in the SV cars, allowing passengers to watch a movie from video library located at the carriage conductor.

In branded trains connecting Moscow with Irkutsk, Krasnoyarsk, Novosibirsk, Omsk, Barnaul and Tomsk, libraries have been organized and children's compartments with a set of toys have been created.

Since 1996, a new form of service for passengers has appeared on a number of passenger trains - the opportunity to travel in a luxury carriage, which provides a set of meals, bed linen, hygiene items, newspapers and magazines, additional personal safety measures, the cost of which is included in the price ticket Currently, 169 such cars run on the roads of Russia in trains formed by the Oktyabrskaya, Sverdlovsk, Kuibyshevskaya, Privolzhskaya, Gorky, Moscow, Northern, South-Eastern, Sverdlovsk, North Caucasian and West Siberian Railways.

The most important direction in improving the quality of suburban transportation is the appointment of branded electric trains of increased comfort. Much work in this direction is being carried out by the Moscow Railway, where 8 such trains currently operate, connecting the capital with regional centers. Similar work is being carried out on Oktyabrskaya, North Caucasus and other railways. Experience shows that transportation in high-speed and comfortable Express trains is competitive and is in great demand among the population. With effective marketing, they can eventually break even. In addition to the introduction of full-fledged branded electric trains, the number of routes of which is limited by the presence of sufficient and stable effective demand of the population, it seems appropriate to include individual luxury cars in regular trains.

Much work is being done to improve the schedule of passenger trains and increase route speeds. For this purpose, appropriate measures have been developed to reduce the travel time of 37 pairs of passenger trains, priority sections of railways have been identified where it is necessary to increase route speeds to 90 km/h with a weighted average technical speed of 140 km/h. A significant reduction in passenger travel time is planned to be achieved primarily on the routes Moscow - Rostov, Moscow - Adler, Moscow - Mineralnye Vody, Moscow - Smolensk - Krasnoye, Moscow - Nizhny Novgorod, as well as between regional centers of the Trans-Siberian Railway.

The main task of planning the operation of rolling stock in passenger traffic is to maximally meet the country's needs for passenger transportation with high technical and economic indicators of the use of vehicles, ensuring the necessary quality and safety of passenger transportation. The quality of development of this plan determines the need for passenger rolling stock, operating personnel, material, energy and other resources necessary to ensure passenger transportation.

Planning of the operation of rolling stock in passenger traffic is carried out on the basis of a passenger transportation plan, highlighting passenger flows in the most important directions. The immediate starting point for developing the plan is the train schedule, compiled in accordance with predicted passenger flows. When drawing up a schedule, a thorough analysis of its actual implementation in the previous period is carried out in order to identify the possibility of reducing (or increasing) the need for rolling stock in the planned period.

The operating plan for rolling stock in passenger traffic consists of two sections, which establish the volume of work of rolling stock and the indicators of its use. Unlike the plan for the operation of rolling stock in freight traffic, when planning the operation of passenger rolling stock, fleets of cars and locomotives are not directly calculated. They are calculated when drawing up the train schedule. In terms of rolling stock operation, the size of the fleet is specified in order to correctly determine the total need for the supply of new cars and locomotives. This clarification is also necessary for the correct calculation of operating costs for the maintenance and servicing of rolling stock.

Indicators of the volume of work of rolling stock are: car-kilometers, train-kilometers, section-kilometers, gross ton-kilometers, locomotive-kilometers. They can be determined most accurately if calculations are made for each train included in the schedule of the planning period. For these purposes, the train routes, the frequency of their circulation, the composition of the train in cars and the gross weight of the train are written out from the schedule.

Train kilometers are calculated using the formula:

where is the double distance of the train route, km;

Frequency of train equipment in the planned period.

Carriage-kilometers are determined by multiplying train-kilometers by the train composition in carriages. When calculating, all cars operating on passenger trains are taken into account:

where is the number of cars in the train.

Gross ton-kilometers are calculated by multiplying train-kilometers by the gross weight of the train:

where is the gross mass of the train, i.e.

To determine the approximate amount of work of passenger cars in gross ton-kilometers, the formula can be used:

where is the average gross weight of the wagon, i.e.

The average gross weight of a wagon is taken according to reporting data with a certain adjustment taking into account changes in the structure of the working fleet.

An example of calculating volumetric indicators.

A train of 15 cars operates on a route with a length of 800 km. The gross weight of the train is 1000 tons, the gross weight of the car is 66.7 tons.

Wherein:

1) train-km

2) car-km

3) t-km gross

The indicators of the volume of work of the rolling stock calculated for each train are summed up and their total value is obtained within the boundaries of the road or department.

Planning of auxiliary mileage of locomotives is carried out according to its share in the total mileage of the reporting year. Auxiliary mileage includes all types of work of locomotives, except their mileage at the head of trains (single mileage of locomotives, mileage in double traction, shunting work of train and special shunting locomotives and other conditional mileage). To carry out an auxiliary run, approximately the same operating costs are required as for leading trains, so it is advisable to plan each type of auxiliary run separately.

Indicators of the volume of work in passenger traffic are calculated by type of communication within the boundaries of departments and along the road as a whole. If passenger traffic on the road is served by different types of traction, calculations are performed for each of them separately in accordance with the areas of circulation of the trains.

For motor-car traction and diesel trains, section-kilometers are additionally determined by multiplying the average number of sections in a train by train-kilometers:

,

where is the number of sections in the train.

To plan costs associated with the maintenance and servicing of locomotives operating in passenger traffic, train-kilometers and gross ton-kilometers are also determined within the boundaries of circulation of locomotive crews, if the work of locomotives does not coincide with the boundaries of departments or roads.

Unlike freight cars, a fleet of passenger cars is assigned to a specific road. The fleet is calculated based on the roads of registration. Its need depends on the volume and unevenness of traffic, speed of movement and population of cars. The calculation is performed for each train depending on the frequency of circulation, train composition and turnaround time. The number of cars required to service one train is equal to the product of the train turnover and the number of cars. The total turnaround time of the train consists of the time the train moves from the starting to the final station and back and the time the train is at the turnaround points. The turnaround time is determined from the moment the train departs from its home station until the next departure from the same station. So, if the train is at the formation station for 10 hours, at the turnaround station for 7 hours, and the train travel time from the starting point to the final point and back is 55 hours, then the turnaround time will be 10 + 7 + 55 = 72 hours, or 3 days. With daily circulation, the required fleet of cars for a train of 18 cars (including 13 compartments and 5 reserved seats) will be 18 3 = 54. The need for cars by type will be determined in the following sizes: 13 3 = 39 compartments and 5 3 = 15 reserved seats. If the train leaves every other day, then the need for cars for it will be halved.

The total demand for passenger cars on a road is equal to the sum of the number of cars required for each train. To determine the needs of the list fleet, cars used for other needs and the necessary reserve are added to the working fleet. The unused fleet of cars is calculated on the basis of reporting data, taking into account planned changes in the planning period.

The required fleet of electric train cars is calculated by dividing the car-kilometers of electric rolling stock by the average daily mileage of an electric car. The fleet of diesel train cars is determined in the same way.

The fleet of locomotives in passenger traffic is found similarly to the calculation of the fleet in freight traffic based on the linear mileage of locomotives and their average daily mileage:

where is the average daily mileage of the locomotive, km.

The main qualitative indicators of the use of rolling stock in passenger traffic are: the population of passenger cars, train composition in cars, sectional and technical speeds, car productivity, average daily mileage of cars and locomotives.

The average passenger car population shows the average number of passengers per car used for passenger transportation and is determined by the formula:

where are passenger kilometers;

car-kilometers of the passenger fleet.

When calculating the population, only the mileage of the cars in which passengers are transported is taken into account. Mileage of mail, baggage, dining and other carriages is excluded.

The average train composition characterizes the number of cars included in passenger trains. Its calculation is made by dividing car-kilometers by train-kilometers:

The technical speed of a passenger train is the average speed of the train along the section, excluding stops at intermediate stations:

where is the total time spent by passenger trains on the section between technical stations without taking into account parking at intermediate stations, train-hour.

Section speed is the average speed of a passenger train along a section, taking into account stops at intermediate stations.

It is calculated using the formula:

where is the total time spent by passenger trains on the section between technical stations, train-hour.

The average population of a carriage, train speeds and train composition are calculated as a whole by road and by type of service.

The average daily mileage of locomotives in passenger traffic is determined in the same way as in freight traffic.

The calculation of the average daily mileage of a passenger car in terms of rolling stock operation is not provided. It is taken into account promptly according to the executed train schedules. The indicator “gross weight of the train” is also not determined. For each train separately, in accordance with the number of cars in the train, it is established when developing a train schedule in the form of a technical norm.

The rolling stock operation plan does not provide for the calculation of all quality indicators that characterize its use in time and power. In order to identify reserves for the most efficient organization of rolling stock operation, it is advisable to periodically calculate a number of additional indicators. Thus, the occupancy of a passenger car, which characterizes its use in terms of capacity, does not actually give a complete picture of the degree of filling of the cars when transporting passengers. Therefore, to analyze the use of the carriage fleet in plans and reports, it is advisable to provide for the calculation of the coefficient of utilization of carriage capacity, determined by dividing passenger-km by seat-km:

where - place-km.

The value of this coefficient is less than one and varies across types of cars.

To assess the quality of use of passenger cars over time, the turnover of passenger trains is calculated. The turnover rate of passenger trains is established for each direction and each train when developing train schedules. The actual value of the turnover is determined according to the graphs of the executed movement. The turnover of the train is calculated using the formula:

,

Where L- travel distance of the passenger train from the formation point to the turnover point, km;

Average route speed of this train in even and odd directions, km/h;

Time spent by the passenger train at the formation point from

moment of arrival to moment of departure, h;

Time spent by the passenger train at the turnover point, hours.

The passenger train turnover indicator is used to calculate the demand for passenger trains. When it is reduced, the fleet of cars required to operate a train on a particular route is reduced.

Based on the turnover of wagons, the average daily mileage of a particular train is calculated:

The shorter the turnaround time of the train, the higher, other things being equal, the higher the average daily mileage of the car.

The most important task of passenger transport is to ensure high quality transportation while fully meeting the mobility needs of the population. The required quality of passenger transportation cannot be ensured without high quality operational work. At the same time, the task of improving the quality of operational work cannot be considered only from the standpoint of improving transport services for the population. This is a large reserve for increasing the efficiency of the entire transport industry, allowing to save operating costs, free up rolling stock, make the most efficient use of human labor, and save investments in the development and reconstruction of passenger transport.

The main indicators of the use of rolling stock in passenger traffic are: the population of cars, train composition and speed (Table 22.1).

Economic efficiency of increasing the car population. The population of a passenger car is the most important reserve for improving the use of the car fleet. Its importance in passenger traffic is approximately the same as the dynamic load in freight traffic.

1. The population of a carriage depends, firstly, on the size of train traffic and the size of passenger traffic. Population shows the extent to which the scheduled volumes of passenger train traffic correspond to actual passenger traffic.

Table 22.1

Operational indicators of the railway network for 1996 – 2004.

When the car population is low, trains operate half empty, and too high a population indicates the need to increase the size of train traffic in order to improve the travel experience for passengers.

2. The occupancy of a passenger car also depends on the structure of the car fleet included in passenger trains.

Example: there is a train of 12 cars:

a) 10 compartments and 2 SV.

The number of seats on the train is: 10 36 + 2 18 = 396. Population - 396: 12 = 33 people/car;

b) 2 compartments and 10 SV.

The number of seats on the train is: 2 36 + 10 18 = 252.

Population - 252:12 = 21 people. /vag.

The more comfortable carriages there are, the lower, under other conditions, the occupancy of the carriages.

From the above it follows that in order to ensure a high population of cars with complete and high-quality satisfaction of the population in transportation, it is necessary to systematically monitor the population of cars and regulate train flows and train composition depending on changes in passenger flows.

Increasing the passenger car population has a great economic effect. An increase in the carriage population with a stable passenger flow means a relative reduction in the carriage fleet, the mileage of trains and locomotives. Reducing the need for rolling stock reduces investment in its development. Reducing train work reduces the level of capacity occupancy and, as a result, reduces the need for investment in its development and helps to increase the speed of trains. By reducing the mileage of cars and locomotives, fuel and electricity consumption for traction of trains is reduced, and a contingent of conductors is freed up, unless the system for servicing the cars is changed.

With an increase in the volume of passenger transportation, an increase in the population of the car makes it possible to master additional passenger turnover without increasing the working fleet of cars or to master it with the same number of trains, without changing the number of cars in the train.

Increasing the car population is the most important reserve for reducing operating costs associated with the maintenance and repair of rolling stock, track superstructure, organizing the work of locomotive and train crews, etc.

Reducing operating costs while increasing the occupancy of the car ensures a significant reduction in the cost of transportation and, accordingly, with stable tariffs, an increase in profits and profitability of passenger transportation.

The growth in car population causes an increase in the average daily mileage and productivity of the car and locomotive fleet.

Efficiency of increasing train composition. Increasing the number of cars on a train means increasing its capacity. The economic efficiency of increasing the number of passenger trains lies in increasing the carrying capacity of railway lines, saving capital investments and operating costs.

The size of the train depends on the size of the passenger traffic of the railway directions, which determines the frequency of trains and the number of cars in them. In addition, the composition of the train is significantly influenced by the population of the cars. These two indicators are closely interrelated. The problem of the population of cars and the composition of the train should be considered in connection with solving questions about ways to enhance the carrying capacity of the transport direction. With stable passenger flows of small sizes, the growth of the train leads to a decrease in the filling of seats on trains, an increase in operating costs, and an increase in the cost of transportation.

Increasing the occupancy of cars by filling empty seats on trains in such cases, on the contrary, leads to significant savings in vehicles.

The economic importance of increasing the train composition increases in conditions when the size of passenger train traffic is limited by the capacity of the line. Under these conditions, the operation of passenger trains with a small number of cars means underutilization of the route's carrying capacity.

At the same time, the train composition cannot be increased to too large a size. Its length depends on the length of the landing platforms. With a significant increase in the length of the train without lengthening the platform, the conditions for boarding and disembarking passengers worsen. At the same time, there is a need to lengthen the landing platforms, as well as the receiving and departure tracks and train settling tracks, which requires additional investment.

Experience shows that driving trains of 20 or more cars with modern serial locomotives also does not reduce the cost of transportation, since the power of the locomotives is insufficient to drive trains at high speed and to heat trains in winter. The use of double traction in such conditions leads to underutilization of the power of the second locomotive and an increase in operating costs.

Consequently, achieving the maximum effect from increasing the composition of a passenger train can only be achieved by lengthening the trains to sizes not exceeding the length of the boarding platforms. This ensures a reduction in train mileage and the need for a locomotive fleet. As a result, cost savings are achieved on the maintenance of locomotive crews, fuel and electricity for traction of trains, maintenance and repair of locomotives, and investments in the locomotive fleet and network development are reduced. At the same time, the productivity of train locomotives increases.

Efficiency of increasing train speed. The speed of passenger trains is the most important indicator of the quality of passenger transportation. With an increase in sectional speed in passenger traffic, the delivery of passengers is accelerated and service for railway passengers is improved. The value of this indicator depends on many factors that equally influence the speed of freight trains: track profile, double or single track line, train length, locomotive power, etc. An increase in the speed of passenger trains gives a great economic effect, expressed in an increase in freight capacity. line capabilities, reducing operating costs, reducing labor costs (locomotive and train crews), reducing the required fleet of cars and locomotives, fuel and electricity costs. Operating costs are saved accordingly.

However, increasing speed not only provides savings, but also causes additional transport costs. Their value depends on the measures through which the increase in speeds is ensured. With an increase in technical speed, fuel and electricity costs for traction increase, and the costs of maintaining rolling stock and the superstructure of the track increase. Therefore, when calculating the overall savings from increasing speed, it is necessary to take into account the additional costs caused by increasing speeds. In some cases, their value is not limited only to operating costs. So, if the increase in speed is achieved by strengthening the upper track structure or by introducing more powerful locomotives, the road will require additional investments.

Increasing the speed of trains has an impact on improving other indicators of the use of rolling stock. With other indicators remaining constant, an increase in speed leads to an acceleration of train turnover and an increase in the average daily mileage of a car, which is inversely related to train turnover. The factors that determine the reduction in train turnover time also contribute to an increase in the mileage of the car for each day of operation. The shorter the train turnover time, the higher the average daily mileage, other things being equal. However, their value is determined not only by the speed of trains, but also by the idle time of trains at home and turnover stations. This means that the factors influencing the growth of train speeds have a slow effect on increasing the average daily mileage of a car and the turnover of the train.

The effect of an increase in average daily mileage caused by an increase in traffic speed is the release of carriage and locomotive fleets, cost savings on their maintenance, repairs and depreciation, on the maintenance of locomotive and train crews, as well as a reduction in investments in locomotive and carriage fleets.

If an increase in the average daily mileage of a car and train turnover is ensured by reducing downtime at stations, then the effect increases due to savings on the maintenance and depreciation of station tracks and investments in their development.

Improving the indicators of the use of rolling stock in passenger traffic ensures an increase in labor productivity of the passenger complex contingent and an increase in profits from passenger transportation.

Economic efficiency of the development of technical means in the passenger sector

The main thing in scientific and technical policy in the passenger sector is the implementation of the Federal program Development and production of new generation passenger rolling stock at Russian enterprises. In addition, a significant amount of work should ensure the improvement of the technology of the transportation process and the creation of resource-saving technologies.

Samples of new generation cars are being created, designed to guarantee high traffic safety and increased comfort. The comprehensive system of technical maintenance and repair of new generation passenger cars is being improved based on the introduction of hardware and software systems for in-place diagnostics and determination of the residual life of the main components and parts. Particular attention is paid to the development of the automated passenger transportation management system ASU Express. The current problem is the transition to the new Express-3 system, which will have significantly greater functionality compared to the Express-2 automated control system, which has been operating on the network since 1982.

The developments in station automation carried out in recent years have made it possible to move on to the creation of a local network for stations, the development of an automated system for the sale of commuter travel documents and accounting for commuter passengers of all categories.

Work aimed at improving the planning of transportation volumes and tariffs will help improve revenues and the quality of their forecasting, as well as improve the consistency of cost and income planning.

Of all types of professional activities, passenger transportation is considered almost the most profitable business. For example, many take a job in a taxi, which is always in great demand in any city, especially in a large one.

However, such a business implies high responsibility and is a rather labor-intensive process. Therefore, many never dare to take such a step. But if nothing frightens you, then you should adhere to a clearly drawn up business plan that will help avoid serious difficulties. You must also obtain a state license.

The business plan must take into account the form in which the business should be registered. It also doesn’t hurt to find a place for an office to solve various organizational issues. It is worth thinking about whether this will be urban transportation or whether it is better to establish intercity transportation. Or maybe it would be better to organize a taxi service.

Transport issues

The key to passenger transportation is the correct selection of transport. Solving this problem will allow every novice entrepreneur to decide whether he is ready to engage in this type of activity or whether he should choose something else.

Minibuses

When drawing up a business plan for passenger transportation by minibuses, you should take into account the available starting capital. It will depend on its size whether to open a whole fleet of vehicles or whether you will have to limit yourself to a few cars (1-2). In Russia, the most popular public means of transportation are GAZelle minibuses. They have come a long way from other means of transportation such as buses, trams and even the subway.

They are more maneuverable and drivers feel more confident. Due to the limited number of seats in the minibus, the driver will not have to stop at every stop, which significantly reduces the time of the overall route. Whether this can be considered a disadvantage or not, everyone can decide for themselves.

As practice shows, it makes no sense to start engaging in passenger transportation if the vehicle fleet does not consist of 15-20 vehicles. This is the only way to fully ensure quality service for any route. If you do not have the necessary funds, you can establish contact with some large vehicle fleet. And having earned enough money, you can already expand.

Buses

As for buses, you either have to buy transport with your own cash or take out a loan. Accordingly, this should be reflected in the business plan. To save money, you can purchase used buses. However, any vehicle must undergo technical inspection and meet all necessary standards and regulations. When purchasing a used vehicle, it is worth considering that it must be safe for passengers. The costs of repair work should not exceed income.

Taxi service

Speaking of a taxi service, you can hire drivers with personal transport. But there are more negative aspects here than positive ones. The advantage is that all problems with the car are solved by its owner.

Now about the cons. The driver, like any other person, wants to earn good money, and therefore can simply leave if he finds a good place somewhere. It is almost impossible to control the entire workflow. In addition, the profit will be significantly less.

The only correct option in this case is to purchase your own fleet of vehicles. This is the only way to become a full-fledged owner of your business and exercise the necessary control, receiving maximum income.

Domestic or foreign transport?

For all the magnificence of GAZelles, they have a bad reputation as not the safest public transport. Designed to carry 8-15 passengers, in reality they carry much more. It gets to the point where the minibus is completely filled, which poses a danger to all road users. Unfortunately, many drivers allow the car to be overcrowded in order to earn more money.

Now it's worth talking about the price. At first glance, it looks impressive, only 500-600 thousand rubles. But it is worth considering that the service life when transporting passengers is usually no more than 2-3 years, then maintenance problems begin and the need for frequent repairs arises.

As an option, you can purchase foreign transport. At a high cost (1,000,000-1,200,000 rubles), they can seriously compete with domestic transport, since they are designed for 7-8 years of operation. In addition, good capacity allows you to transport from 22 to 26 passengers. But this also implies a large starting capital.

Whatever method is chosen, you must contact a reliable transport manufacturer. This is the only way to ensure that we provide the necessary advice, guarantees and service. Also, if necessary, you can get support in the future on all issues of interest.

Business registration

There are several ways to register passenger transportation by minibus as a business:

Of all three options, the easiest to deal with is a limited liability company. When registering a closed joint-stock company, it will take a lot of time and effort and is the most labor-intensive.

In addition to registering a business, a necessary condition is to obtain a license that gives the right to transport passengers. Usually it is not necessary when transporting no more than 8 people.

The license is issued by Rostransnadzor and can be given in three cases:

1. transportation of passengers using a car;
2. transportation of passengers more than 8 people;
3. transportation of goods over 3.5 tons.

When applying for a license, you need to pay a state fee of 300 rubles. Subsequently, you need to pay another state fee (1000 rubles). The license is issued for a period of 5 years, which must then be renewed if necessary.

Before registering your business, it is best to enlist the support of a professional lawyer. It will help clarify many points that may be hidden from the simple gaze of an unprepared person. In addition, a specialist will help resolve a number of issues that undoubtedly may arise.

Route planning

Creating a competent route is not an easy task. It will require a considerable amount of effort and time. When transporting passengers in cities, it is necessary to generate income not only in the morning or evening, but throughout the entire working day. Competition here also plays a significant role, and the less pronounced it is, the better.

It is advisable to conduct the city route through the central part of the city, where there will be a large passenger flow. In this case, everything must be coordinated with the city administration. For an intercity route, it is also important to calculate and think through everything correctly. Almost everything is important here:

• distance between points;
• technical condition of roads;
• weather.

Looking for a place

The specific nature of the passenger transportation business requires the presence of office space. It is also desirable that next to the office there is a fenced and well-guarded area for parking vehicles with the possibility of maintenance. This should also be included in the business plan.

It is possible to build a small building for an office, however, it would be more rational to enter into a rental agreement for premises, especially at the initial stage of the business. Over time, you can organize an entire enterprise with its own large territory, where there will be both production and office buildings.

Staff

If a decision is made to organize passenger transportation by bus, then it is necessary to recruit responsible personnel. This will determine whether the company will generate income or only losses.

When hiring drivers, it is mandatory to conduct an interview. This will make it possible to find out what experience a person has, how many years of experience he has, whether he has been in an emergency situation and how many times. This will also make it possible to find out what personal qualities the candidate has (communication skills, honesty, responsibility, etc.). A person with three years of work experience can already be considered worthy.

When hiring, a future driver must submit the appropriate certificates based on the results of a medical commission and from a narcologist. If we are talking about a taxi service, then you definitely need to hire dispatchers. They should have good computer skills and communication skills should be their main feature.

In addition, several more employees need to be recruited:

• medic – to examine drivers;
• mechanical technician - they will monitor the technical condition of the vehicle and eliminate malfunctions in a timely manner;
• Deputy - in the event of your absence, he will resolve all issues that arise in your place.

The number of drivers will need to be selected, taking into account the starting capital and the number of available vehicles.

As a result

Many questions regarding this business have been clarified. Finally, we can point out some points. It is best to start activities in the summer, since there is low activity. This will allow you to smoothly get into the working rut, avoiding unnecessary costs. By the time everything picks up speed, you can get a good handle on many of the intricacies of passenger transportation.

In such a business, every seemingly insignificant detail is important. And the more competently a business plan is developed, the more points it contains, the easier it will be to carry out activities. In addition, this will allow you not only to pay off in the shortest possible time, but also to receive very good profits in the future.

Passenger transportation is not a new direction for creating a highly profitable business. But the prospects for beginners remain at a high level, despite quite a lot of competition. The whole point is the constantly growing demand for such a service, which means there is an opportunity for everyone to earn money.

Key Features of a Niche

You must deeply understand the entire process of such a business and development in order to include all the nuances in the business plan. Everything will begin with the registration of this type of activity. The most convenient option for registration is an individual entrepreneur or LLC. Also, do not forget that according to modern legislation, this type of activity must be accompanied by a license. So you will need to obtain the necessary document authorizing you to provide passenger transportation services (and it does not matter whether it will be transportation between cities or within the city).

If you, as an entrepreneur, plan to carry out transportation within the city along a route, then you will also need to obtain documents for approval of such a route or rent a permit for an existing one. This will take even more time and money. But this is information on a slightly different topic.

Selecting a room

To open a business for intercity passenger transportation, this type of activity will require a small office and a large parking lot near it. As expected, this parking lot should be well guarded and surrounded by a fence around the entire perimeter. It is also advisable to have your own vehicle wash on site. It may also be that there is no free money available for all this. Then it is better to consider the option of renting a parking lot and using private car wash services.

Also consider renting an office and everything else on the outskirts of the city to open a company, since the cost of rent in this case is significantly reduced.

Necessary transport

As a rule, a bus must be available to carry out this type of activity. And the cost must be included in the business plan for intercity passenger transportation. You can buy it outright or use credit. This will depend on your capabilities and wishes. If you do not want to buy a new option, then in order to save money, you can consider a used bus. But it is important, after the purchase or before it, to do the full range of technical analysis of the vehicle, so that at a minimum you do not lose money, and at a maximum, do not lead to tragic consequences.

You will also need to decide what scale the transportation should initially be. In this case, there are three options, according to the number of seats in one vehicle:

1. 50 seats.
2. 25 seats.
3. 15 seats.

If you are new to this business and want to try yourself in this business first, then it is best to buy a minibus with 15 seats. And when you already start receiving a good income and can collect more money, then it makes sense to buy cars with more seats.

Company employees

To build an effective business in the service of passenger transportation between cities, your staff must have experienced and responsible drivers, and indeed the entire staff. When choosing such people, it is important to consider the person's experience and driving confidence first. If he doesn’t have both, then he will cause distrust among passengers, and in general this can be fraught with tragic consequences.

Of course, the driver must have permission to drive this type of transport. Also, do not forget that before each departure, the driver must first undergo an examination by a medical professional, who will also need to be hired to work with him.

In addition, do not forget that cars can often break down, so you will need a car mechanic who will also inspect the vehicle before and after trips.

Advertising services

In order for a business to become successful, an advertising and marketing strategy plays a big role. It is important to understand that it would be wrong to make a high-quality business plan for intercity bus transportation without spending on advertising, since it will be difficult to achieve success without this. Here you have the opportunity to choose several advertising directions for your intercity passenger transportation services. One option is to place such advertising in the bus itself. An important point will be the organization of the company’s image through:

• constant cleanliness in the bus interior;
• convenient and fast transportation;
• careful, experienced and polite drivers.

Among other types of advertising, we can note the effectiveness of a company’s personal website if it is made with high quality and is advertised in search engines. It should contain all the information necessary for a potential client, from prices and possible routes, to even photographs and videos of the vehicles themselves and their interiors.

Banners on the streets, advertising in newspapers, even on local television - all this and more that can bring potential clients to you, sooner or later you need to use it so that the maximum number of people learn about your enterprise. The question is how much money are you willing to spend on it and which options will bring the most benefits at the initial stage.

Expenses and income

For one-time costs for such a business, the following can be noted:

• registration and obtaining a license – 46,000 rubles;
• purchase of a bus - 1,800,000 rubles.

In addition to one-time costs, of course, there will also be permanent ones, among which we can note:

• fuel;
• spare parts;
• workers' wages;
• renting a parking lot and an office (provided that you do not buy all this initially);
• use of car wash services (if you don’t have your own);
• utilities (if your own territory is purchased);
• taxes;
• advertising;
• office;
• other small expenses.

As practice shows, intercity passenger transportation as a business is very effective, and its payback can occur faster than in one year. But this is the case if each bus is constantly in operation. In any case, the approximate profitability of such a business is at the level of 80%.