A GIS-based analysis of reachability aspects in rural public transportation

Abstract

Public transport systems play an essential role in the reduction of emissions and overall traffic in urban centers and rural areas. In urban centers, public transport stops usually exist within walking distance, often with a multitude of alternative transport means to choose from, and complemented with bicycle sharing systems, micro-mobility offers, or ride-hailing systems. In contrast, rural areas are characterized by huge geographical varieties and sparse population density, which makes the provision of public transport challenging. A take-up of public transport is highly dependent on the reachability of stops (bus stops, train stations). Good reachability may be perceived by a rural population not only by the walking distance to the next bus stop, but also in terms of geographical characteristics such as elevation differences and gradient of the footpath to be used. In our study, we examine transport provisions in rural regions with respect to geographical features such as cumulative elevation and maximum gradients of first/ last leg walking paths. We use publicly available map data (OpenStreetMap) and digital elevation models to analyze existing transport provisions (bus, train, micro-transit services) and identify areas that suffer from poor reachability or blind spots in the transport network.