BUS USE IN RURAL AREAS: PEOPLE'S TIME PREFERENCES

In rural areas in the Netherlands public transport is provided, as a matter of policy for all villages with more than 1500 inhabitants but the frequencies can vary from once every hour to much lower frequencies and in many cases there is no public transport available in the evening and during the weekend. For a number of people public transport provides the only means of access to shopping centres and centres of education, employment and medical care. The government recognizes the important role public transport plays in enabling people to undertake activities that are essential to their well-being. The government's aim is to maintain public transport in rural areas at such a level that it meets the transportation needs of the inhabitants to the greatest possible extent. In rural areas the service level of public transport is currently determined by means of a normative allocation rule. Using this rule, which was introduced in 1979, the service frequency on a bus route is based on the actual demand and the carrying capacity of the vehicle. This study presents a temporal criterion as an adequate fundamental support to show that mobility patterns of people and the degree to which the actual travel behaviour reflects their needs can show alternatives for the rule. Time preference curves are constructed if a bus company wants to alter the timetable or frequency of a specific line.

• Corporate Authors:

  Groningen State Univ /Netherlands

  ,    
• Authors:
  • Van Knippenberg, CWF
  • Michon, J A
  • HOEKERT, M
• Publication Date: 1983

Media Info

• Features: Figures; References;
• Pagination: 13 p.

Subject/Index Terms

• TRT Terms: Accessibility; Bus transit; Equity; Federal government; Frequency (Electromagnetism); Headways; Level of service; Methodology; Mobility; Policy; Public transit; Research reports; Rural areas; Scheduling; Social factors; Sociology; Timetables
• Uncontrolled Terms: Modifications
• Geographic Terms: Netherlands
• Old TRIS Terms: Bus services
• ITRD Terms: 8525: Conference; 285: Demand (econ); 6997: Frequency; 183: Government (national); 653: Level of service; 9102: Method; 9105: Mobility (pers); 9048: Modification; 8078: Netherlands; 173: Policy; 335: Population; 744: Public transport; 378: Region; 8559: Research report; 328: Rural area; 9072: Selection; 2253: Sociology; 1186: Timetable
• Subject Areas: Highways; Planning and Forecasting; Policy; Public Transportation; Society; I72: Traffic and Transport Planning;

Filing Info

• Accession Number: 00378887
• Record Type: Publication
• Source Agency: Institute for Road Safety Research, SWOV
• Report/Paper Numbers: Monograph
• Files: ITRD, TRIS
• Created Date: Oct 30 1983 12:00AM