An analysis of the integration of DRT services with local public transport in post-pandemic period: some of the preliminary insights in the Italian context

Italy was one of the first country in Europe which was severely affected by COVID-19 pandemic. Several critical issues emerged during the different pandemic phases, especially in the health and mobility sector. Restrictions on public transport reduced the supply of transport, highlighting the need to rethink complementary transport systems. Since May 2020, in the post-lockdown phase, the provision of local public transport has been based on ordinary services, such as bus services, which are mainly intended to meet the needs of systematic travel between the places of residence and work on main development routes of the territory. These services have undergone reductions both in the on-board capacity and in some cases the complete elimination of transit routes. The rebalancing in favour of sustainable modes of transport and the reduction of the share of road mobility is pursued through the encouragement of ad-hoc measures aimed at balancing-off the supply-demand mechanism and improving the quality of services. The application of an on-demand responsive transit system has the ability to improve the transit needs in order to reach the places where personal or family services are provided or to enjoy the resources distributed within desired territory. In Italy since March 2020, new areas of weak demand for transport have been created, i.e. areas with a certain number of users that need to be transferred to and from places that have generally never had access to public transport or have had it restricted. The Demand Responsive Transport (DRT) system is, therefore, used in both urban and suburban areas, allowing even those who do not have their own means of transport (for example, disadvantaged social categories or users with a short stay in the area) or who are suitably equipped (people with reduced or no motor skills), to move around in areas easily. The present work focuses on an analysis of the current state of affairs, starting from the literature and regulations concerning the diffusion of the DRT systems in Italy, and offers some ideas for the optimisation of an integrated public transport service.