Item

Abstract

With increasing rurality of an area, the challenge of maintaining affordable and attractive local public transport (ÖPNV) is growing. For example, traditionally scheduled transport services can in sparsely populated areas only achieve low cost recovery due to low capacity utilisation, especially at base load times. This often results in low service frequencies, which can lead to a further decline in demand. In order to counteract this downward spiral, an increasing number of alternative public transport forms are being used to supplement and improve existing transport services and to better adapt to the special requirements in these areas. Against this background, the alternative operating mode "moobil+" was initiated in the district of Vechta, northwest Germany. "moobil+" was the subject investigated in the study described. Within the scope of the investigation, the service was analysed with regard to spatial and temporal availability. Furthermore, a survey among the companies in the district of Vechta concerning "moobil+" was conducted. Analysis and survey were both carried out in 2016. Overall, it can be stated that "moobil+" can be defined as an alternative demand system. For large parts of the population, a bus stop can be reached in five minutes walking distance. Peripherally located places in the district are also accessible with the demand system. However, predominantly two-hour intervals and missing focus on commuter traffic limit the flexibility of the users. In addition, "moobil+" is still quite unknown among regional entrepreneurs. Against this backdrop, the recommendations for "moobil+" in particular, but also for setting up alternative forms of transport service in general can be derived: optimise travel times, set up bait offers and focus on target groups such as commuters or especially trainees and apprentices. Hence, the article extends the state research regarding alternative forms of public transport and their implementation, especially in rural regions.