Променливите разходи в контекста на договарянето и изпълнението на обществени услуги с пътнически железопътен транспорт в България
Variable Costs in the Context of Contracting and Implementing Public Services with Passenger Rail Transport in Bulgaria

Author(s): Vasko Vassilev
Subject(s): Politics / Political Sciences, Politics, Economy, Business Economy / Management, Public Administration, EU-Approach / EU-Accession / EU-Development, Transport / Logistics
Published by: Университет за национално и световно стопанство (УНСС)
Keywords: public service; railway transport; passenger transport; obligations
Summary/Abstract: Over the past few decades, passenger rail transport has developed in two main directions. Firstly, transport activity based on open access to the transport market and secondly – regulated access to the transport market for the implementation of public services. Open access implies free competition in the railway services market, and regulated access – competition in terms of services that require a contract with a public authority (central or regional) for the assumption of Public Service Obligations (PSO). The requirement for a Contract, as the basis of the regulated market, implies a clear definition of the scope of the public service and at the same time structuring the performance measures and costs that the public authority is willing to pay for these services. According to the EU Regulations on public passenger transport services by rail and road, „public service obligation means a requirement defined or imposed by a competent authority to provide public passenger transport services of general interest which an operator, if it were considering only its own commercial interests, would not undertake or would not undertake to the same extent or under the same conditions, without remuneration.“ A competent authority in this context refers to either a central or a local government authority. There are four main types of PSOs that apply in modern passenger railways: undertaking tariff obligations, guaranteeing the reliability of services, ensuring the necessary frequency of service and quality requirements that guarantee customer satisfaction. At the present stage, the obligations undertaken under the Railway Transport Act are of three types: an operation obligation; a carriage obligation; a tariff obligation. At the same time, the services for which PSOs can be determined or their scope have been determined on the basis of limited studies of customer requirements. The determination of a „reasonable profit“ for the carrier when implementing a Public Service Contract and the methodology for cost management are the subject of this study, in order to limit the possibility of turning „compensation“ into a hidden subsidy. The aim is to satisfy public requirements for railway transport to an extent that guarantees sustainable development.

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