Evaluation of comprehensive security systems for public transport - a methodological approach

This paper presents a risk-based framework for debating and evaluating the benefits and costs of security capacities for the public transport sector. The framework takes into account non-quantifiable decision variables and dilemmas, and uncertainties related to input data. The framework consists of process description and a range of suggested evaluation criteria as well as guidelines on how to perform the evaluation. The criteria cover expenses, legal and ethical challenges, passengers' perception, other side effects, and feasibility. In addition to guidelines on prioritizing and evaluating the different criteria, the interpretation and use of the numerical results is discussed. The framework also discusses the follow-up management strategies based on the outcome of the evaluation. In short, it describes a possible way of following up the output of security risk assessments and the identified security gaps/risks. It involves stakeholders and offers a transparent process for prioritizing, and finally, selecting security measures. In its simplest form, the whole evaluation can be conducted by experts in a workshop, making qualitative assessments of a few criteria. This can be useful as a first screening for choosing capacities/measures for further studies. More advanced users can apply quantitative studies and surveys; however, the framework will remain the same. The use of and the strengths and weaknesses of the framework has first been pre-tested in a constructed practical case, in which a fictional personal transport operator was expected to choose among five possible security capacities to mitigate a security gap (risk), and thereafter, tested in a real case by a small public transport operator.