Comparison of Operational Costs for Fixed-Route Bus Service and Demand Responsive Transport Systems. The Case of Kosice Region - Slovakia

Abstract

The issue of sustainability of public transport is constantly receiving attention from both government and research. One possible solution, demand responsive transport (DRT), can increase accessibility in rural areas, improve the quality of service as well as reduce the costs. This paper estimates the operational costs for different types of vehicles in DRT in person-kilometers and compares it to the current costs of standard bus transport for year 2021 and analyses the capacity, occupancy and ticket prices of fixed-route bus transport. As the results indicate, in many cases the costs of DRT are higher compared to standard bus transport, but by increasing the occupancy of vehicles the DRT can provide savings up to 66 %. The use of cars, as well as car-sharing, show higher costs, which is mainly related to a low transport capacity. As the most appropriate vehicles of DRT have been identified micro buses and minibuses.