Detailing DRT users in Europe over the last twenty years: a literature overview

Abstract

Travel choices in terms of means of transport and frequencies have changed during the recent pandemic period due to mobility restrictions, the growing fear of contagion and, especially in some months, the reduction of public transport capacity during the phases of the pandemic (especially for low demand areas). These trends must be analysed in order to optimize the implementation of possible complementary solutions to fill the deficit of local public transport (TPL) by introducing for example the Demand Responsive Transport services (DRT). A preliminary analysis is useful to identify the most efficient, effective and sustainable solutions in the various contexts, taking into account users and their motivation to travel. A growing need for “on-demand” mobility is linked to the increase in the number of elderly and disabled people. With a lack of alternative services and a reluctance to bear the burden and cost of ownership of vehicles, transport infrastructure will be particularly important to this aging population. Therefore, the improvement of transport services must consider some main characteristics of this modal choice are: being user-oriented; guarantee the accessibility of the service via the web, on specific platforms available on fixed and mobile devices and also enjoy the versatility of use with reference to the areas and users to be served. The present work, therefore, focuses on an evaluation of the literature, defining the main characteristics of DRT in Europe over the last twenty years. The results lay the foundations for a better planning of the service in the post-pandemic phase and a diffusion of bottom-up approaches for the calibration of the service itself through the dissemination of survey campaigns.