ENHANCING PUBLIC TRANSPORTATION SUSTAINABILITY: AN ECONOMIC FEASIBILITY FRAMEWORK FOR EFFECTIVE REGIONAL GOVERNANCE

This study seeks to address rural transportation sustainability by exploring the inclusion of demand-responsive transport (DRT) into the public transport system. To assess the feasibility of this approach, an agent-based model has been developed to calculate the costs and revenues and applied in case study of rural region of eastern Slovakia. While the DRT operations are generally unprofitable, under specific conditions, 31% of routes serviced by DRT recorded lower losses than bus transport, particularly in areas with low demand and during off-peak hours. These findings imply that DRT could serve as a viable option in enhancing rural transport accessibility and bolstering the cost-effectiveness of public transportation, however, it cannot entirely replace conventional bus transport.