This issue of JOURNEYS goes through some of the reforms that major cities have implemented to enhance the transport systems so as to remain relevant to the needs of the people and to support the growth of the economies.

It started with the urban transportation reform in China, followed by a review of the use of quality partnership schemes in the UK to ensure quality bus services in the deregulated market. Phang Sock Yong then discusses the key approaches of Public private partnership (PPP) in the urban rail sector. Graham Currie reviews the rail franchising experience in Melbourne and identifies some useful lessons for governments seeking to tap on the private sector to provide public transport services.

Finally, we look at Singapore's fare regulation regime, and transforming the public transport ticketing system from manual cash collection to an advanced integrated system using contactless smart cards.