Travel Experience and Reasons for the Use and Nonuse of Local Public Transport: A Case Study within the Community Interregional Project SaMBA (Sustainable Mobility Behaviors in the Alpine Region)

Abstract

Knowing the reasons for mobility choices, how users evaluate the characteristics of public transport and how satisfied they are with their travel experience is essential to promote the use of LPT (local public transport), especially in rural or suburban areas where the use of private cars is often prevalent. The present study aimed to investigate the mobility experience and the reasons for use and nonuse of the LPT in a suburban area by the people traveling to a large hospital center in a province of the north-east of Italy. An anonymous questionnaire was completed by people from different categories traveling to the hospital (students, employees, clients), who were user and nonusers of the LPT. The results showed that insufficient hourly coverage and accessibility of the service are the primary reasons for opting not to use LPT and, together with reliability and comfort, these factors contribute to user satisfaction with their travel experience. The perceived sustainability of LPT contributes to overall travel satisfaction. However, perceived sustainability alone does not appear to influence the choice of LPT if the service lacks adequate accessibility and does not meet the needs of travelers in terms of hourly coverage.