Demand-responsive transport

Demand-responsive bus service of the Oxford Bus Company in 2018

Demand-responsive transport (DRT), also known as demand-responsive transit, demand-responsive service,[1] Dial-a-Ride[2] transit (sometimes DART),[3] flexible transport services,[4] Microtransit,[5] Non-Emergency Medical Transport (NEMT),[5] Carpool[6] or On-demand bus service is a form of shared private or quasi-public transport for groups traveling where vehicles alter their routes each journey based on particular transport demand without using a fixed route or timetabled journeys.[7] These vehicles typically pick-up and drop-off passengers in locations according to passengers needs and can include taxis, buses or other vehicles.[8][9] Passengers can typically summon the service with a mobile phone app or by telephone; telephone is particularly relevant to older users who may not be conversant with technology.[10]

One of the most widespread types of demand-responsive transport (DRT) is to provide a public transport service in areas of low passenger demand where a regular bus service is not considered to be financially viable, such as rural and peri-urban areas.[11] Services may also be provided for particular types of passengers. One example is the paratransit programs for people with a disability. The provision of public transport in this manner emphasises one of its functions as a social service rather than creating a viable movement network.[12][13][14]

  1. ^ NTD Glossary Archived 2013-11-13 at the Wayback Machine US National Transit Database
  2. ^ "Dial-a-Ride". Transport for London. Retrieved 11 August 2022.
  3. ^ "DART (Dial-A-Ride Transit) Service". King County Metro Transit. Retrieved 11 August 2022.
  4. ^ CONNECT is a Coordination Action in the Sustainable Development Thematic Area of the European Union's 6th Framework Program, successfully ended on December 2005.
  5. ^ a b What is Demand-Responsive Transport?
  6. ^ ioki.com - what-is-demand-responsive-transport (2023-06-26). "What is … demand-responsive transport (DRT)?". ioki. Retrieved 2023-11-23.
  7. ^ "What is Demand-Responsive Transport?" (PDF). Transport for Communities. Archived from the original (PDF) on 14 January 2019. Retrieved 7 January 2019.
  8. ^ Synopsis of DRT Archived 2010-06-20 at the Wayback Machine European Commission Directorate-General for Energy and Transport
  9. ^ Brake, Jenny; Nelson, John D.; Wright, Steve (December 2004). "Demand responsive transport: towards the emergence of a new market segment". Journal of Transport Geography. 12 (4): 323–337. Bibcode:2004JTGeo..12..323B. doi:10.1016/j.jtrangeo.2004.08.011.
  10. ^ Cite error: The named reference laker was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  11. ^ www.drtbus.co.uk Archived 2008-03-19 at the Wayback Machine What is DRT?
  12. ^ "Social benefits of buses: valuing the social impacts". GOV.UK. Retrieved 7 January 2019.
  13. ^ "Integrated Public Transport Service Planning Guidelines" (PDF). Transport for New South Wales. Retrieved 7 January 2019.
  14. ^ Mees, Paul (2000). A very public solution : transport in the dispersed city. Melbourne: Melbourne University Press. ISBN 9780522848670.