Title

Mobility services accessibility: demand responsive transport service towards the flexible mobility agency

Document Type

Conference Paper

Publication Date

2004

Subject Area

Location - Europe, Mobility - Disabled, Population - Elderly, Transport programs - Demand responsive transport

Abstract

The access to transport services by different user groups and in low mobility demand zones and time periods involves the set of flexible services that the Transport Company can provide to the users (elderly, disabled, students, workers, etc.), according both to their various needs and to the characteristics of the served time periods (night and/or non-peak hours, etc.) and areas (peripheral zones/suburbs, rural and mountain communities). These services, (referred to as Demand Responsive Transport - DRT) are strictly connected with the service production modalities (door to door, pre and online booking, route deviation, time-table online updating, etc), and are offered to customers on the basis of their individual needs. The interest for DRT services is growing inside the community of Transport Companies, due to their flexibility in influencing the modal shift towards collective transport and inside the local Authorities in guaranteeing benefits on the environment and social cohesion of urban and rural areas. The paper aims to present the DRT service context, approach and concepts describing the DRT Personalbus (TM) system operated in the Metropolitan area of Florence (Italy) by ATAF (the transit company of Florence MA). Some results are presented on the DRT service operated in the town of Campi, a rural town in the suburbs of Florence, that has become the first European town completely served by a DRT system. Finally the concepts and features of the Agency for the flexible mobility services implemented in the EU FAMS project are provided.