Graziella FORNENGO
Università di Torino, Dipartimento di Economia Cognetti de Martiis

Elisabetta OTTOZ
Università di Torino, Dipartimento di Economia Cognetti de Martiis

The paper analyses in the period 1998-2002 the effects of the reform of local public transit in Piedmont on the structure and the efficiency of the regional bus transport industry. A data base covering almost all the firms concerned allows to distinguish the performances of private and public-owned firms. The industry became more concentrated after the merger (2002) between the two large public-owned firms operating in the metropolitan area and the widespread diffusion of informal organisations of the existing firms (ATI; Associazioni Temporanee di Imprese). The technical and economic efficiency indicators show on average a slight improvement at the end of the period., with poorer performances for the public owned companies in comparison to the private firms.