Design, implementation and monitoring of a Demand Responsive Transport service for student leisure transfers: The case study of University of Trieste

Thanks to their great flexibility, Demand Responsive Transport (DRT) services have been increasingly implemented in recent years to address mobility challenges associated with environmental and social sustainability. Such transport solutions are particularly suited to satisfy the needs of specific customer categories and territories, and to serve peak-off periods. Efficiency in resource allocation and cooperation among the involved stakeholders represent crucial aspects to ensure the successful implementation of DRT services. To prove this, the study describes the results of the fruitful collaboration between the University of Trieste, Italy, and the local public transport operator in the design and implementation of a DRT service to accommodate the evening and night leisure transfers of university students. To this end, a questionnaire was administered to students in order to perform a demand analysis: notably, a discrete choice experiment was carried out to define the characteristics of the service in terms of city area served, booking time, fare and service timing. According to a Logit model, the probability of students of choosing a certain service alternative was defined, suggesting the preferred service configuration. Consequently, a mobile application was developed to digitize the procedures of booking, tracing and paying bus transfers, other than monitoring the performances of the DRT service. Data collected during six months of service operation show promising results, having recorded a peak of 500 served students in one shift. A satisfactory survey revealed that the main service advantages perceived by users deal with an increase in economic convenience, transfer flexibility and personal security.