Evaluation of On-Demand Bus Services Applicability to Older Persons

This paper describes evaluation of applicability of an on-demand bus system for older persons as a public transportation alternative that passengers use after making reservations. An on-demand bus service, in which buses arrive when reserved by users, has been developed and demonstrated by the community test conducted in City of Kashiwa's Kashiwa-no-ha area, Chiba Prefecture to evaluate its effectiveness. Results suggest that services are used by those 65 years old and older, who rate services more highly and are more willingness to pay on the average than the younger persons, as found in a questionnaire.