DRT and Social Exclusion: A Literature Review on Gender, Age and Income Impact

Abstract

Demand-responsive transit services (DRTs) have emerged in recent years as a mode of transport capable of improving the efficiency of public transport, respecting scheduled services, and aligning with Agenda 2030 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) to provide affordable, accessible, and sustainable transport systems for all. The main socio-demographic determinants for the adoption of DRTs were investigated in this research. In particular, a coherent state of the art on the role of the three studied attributes (Gender, Age, In-come) in the adoption of DRTs was defined, exploring the qualitative and quantitative contributions present in literature, with a focus on modal choice models. For this study, a systematic literature review (SLR) was conducted through a structured search across various search engines . This approach involved de-fining appropriate keywords as well as setting inclusion and exclusion criteria to ensure effective search and thorough analysis of the selected studies. Results are classified considering the contribution of the role of the three different attributes. The results show that there is a growing interest in on-demand forms of mobility. Age-related contributions are more numerous and with concordant conclusions, which highlight the positive impact of DRTs on mobility for older people. The role of income and especially gender is less evident, laying the foundation for further research.