How rural is too rural for transit? Optimal transit subsidies and supply in rural areas

Maria Börjesson, Chau Man Fung, Stef Proost · 2020 · Journal of Transport Geography

Summary. This paper models optimal public transit supply in low-density rural areas by analyzing trade-offs between passenger welfare and operating costs. Using data from a rural corridor, the authors test different network lengths, service frequencies, and population sizes across car, bus, and rail modes. They find that adjusting rail frequency generates the largest welfare gains, that existing rail networks provide marginal benefits until major repairs are needed, and that bus service remains worthwhile even when rail closure becomes optimal as populations decline.

Read the original

Cite this article

Börjesson, M., Fung, C. M., & Proost, S.. (2020). How rural is too rural for transit? Optimal transit subsidies and supply in rural areas. Journal of Transport Geography. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jtrangeo.2020.102859

@article{b-rjesson-2020-how-rural-too-rural-transit,
  title   = {How rural is too rural for transit? Optimal transit subsidies and supply in rural areas},
  author  = {Maria Börjesson and Chau Man Fung and Stef Proost},
  journal = {Journal of Transport Geography},
  year    = {2020},
  doi     = {10.1016/j.jtrangeo.2020.102859},
  url     = {https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jtrangeo.2020.102859}
}

TY  - JOUR
TI  - How rural is too rural for transit? Optimal transit subsidies and supply in rural areas
AU  - Maria Börjesson
AU  - Chau Man Fung
AU  - Stef Proost
JO  - Journal of Transport Geography
PY  - 2020
DO  - 10.1016/j.jtrangeo.2020.102859
UR  - https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jtrangeo.2020.102859
ER  -

Details

DOI: 10.1016/j.jtrangeo.2020.102859
Countries: Sweden, United Kingdom, Belgium
Regions: Europe
Categories: transportation, regional-innovation-systems
Added: 2026-04-28