Integration As A Competitiveness Instrument For Public Transport In Rural Areas

Abstract

The market of interurban mobility to rural areas is one of the most challenging for Public Transport (PT). In Portugal it has been quite difficult for Public Transportation to establish itself in this market as an effective alternative to the use of private cars. Two of the main reasons for this are the low accessibility of long distance railway services and urban sprawl in many Portuguese regions. Integration facilitates the use of several services of the transport chain and facilitates a more efficient resource allocation on the supply side of the system. By making local distribution possible in connection with long distance services, even in low demand areas, integration may foster a higher patronage of PT and its competitiveness compared to private car. This paper presents the study of five short-range road transport services in connection to the railway network in the Médio Tejo region, including the key elements that are to be considered on their design. The research identified the possible interested agents and made an account of their related costs and benefits. The conclusion is that these services can be commercially interesting and may bring considerable increase in the market share of PT. Keywords: Integration, Multimodal Transport, Public Transport, Interurban Transport, Economic Evaluation.