Abstract In rural areas with low population density, demand-responsive transport (DRT) is considered a promising alternative to conventional public transport (PT). With a fleet of smaller vehicles, DRT provides a much more flexible and convenient service. This characteristic makes DRT also a potential mode of transport to serve students in rural areas. If DRT vehicles are used to serve students, then the funding for conventional school buses (or adapted public transport schedules) can be reinvested in the DRT system. This may help to relieve the financial burden experienced by DRT operators and enable the operation of a large-scale DRT service in rural areas. In this study, a demand model for school commutes based on real-world, open-source data for Landkreis Vulkaneifel, a rural region in Germany, is built. Then a feasibility study is carried out using an agent-based transport simulation framework. In the feasibility study, various setups and operational schemes are explored, which are followed by a systematic cost analysis. Based on a conservative estimation, an annual budget of around 1600 Euro per student will be needed to maintain and operate a fleet of DRT vehicles that can transport all the students in the region from home to school on time in the morning. During the remaining time of the day and on school holidays, the vehicles can be used for conventional DRT service for the public.

    Highlights The feasibility of transporting students in a rural region with DRT is explored. DRT can provide an efficient school transport service with reasonable cost. The offline optimization approach with pre-bookings reduces the cost by 35%. The cost can be further reduced by compromising the comfort of the service. The cost can also be significantly reduced if autonomous vehicles are used.


    Access

    Check access

    Check availability in my library

    Order at Subito €


    Export, share and cite



    Title :

    Demand-responsive transport for students in rural areas: A case study in Vulkaneifel, Germany


    Contributors:
    Lu, Chengqi (author) / Maciejewski, Michal (author) / Wu, Hao (author) / Nagel, Kai (author)


    Publication date :

    2023-09-23




    Type of media :

    Article (Journal)


    Type of material :

    Electronic Resource


    Language :

    English





    WILLINGNESS TO PAY FOR DEMAND RESPONSIVE TRANSPORT IN EAST SLOVAKIAN RURAL AREAS

    Marek GRÓF / Peter DŽUPKA / Radovan DRÁB | DOAJ | 2023

    Free access

    Integrated Demand Responsive transport in Low-Demand Areas: A case study of Canberra, Australia

    Mortazavi, Amir / Ghasri, Milad / Ray, Tapabrata | Elsevier | 2023


    Demand-Responsive Transport vs. Conventional Public Transport: A MATSim study about the rural town of Colditz, Germany

    Viergutz, Kathrin Karola / Schmidt, Clemens | German Aerospace Center (DLR) | 2019

    Free access

    Demand-Responsive Transport vs. Conventional Public Transport: A MATSim study about the rural town of Colditz, Germany.

    Viergutz, Kathrin Karola / Schmidt, Clemens | German Aerospace Center (DLR) | 2019

    Free access