Modelling the cost of providing ambulance services

The aim of this paper is to study how regional demography and accessibility patterns influence the cost of providing ambulance services. A secondary aim is to project future costs and demand for ambulance services based on population projections. We use data from south-east Norway, an area with both urban and rural areas. Our results show that accessibility patterns, urbanisation and demography are important factors in determining costs. Furthermore, an ageing population and an ongoing process of urbanisation will have an impact on both the demand for ambulance transport and the cost of providing these services.