Business strategies and technology for access by transit in lower density environments

Providing access via public transport in relatively low density suburban environments has been a difficult business challenge for transit operators for the past 40 years. A family of services approach to this problem, a key element of which is providing demand-responsive services, has proven effective for some metropolitan public transport authorities in the USA, of which the Denver authority is notable. The Denver agency has devised innovative service delivery modalities for its DRT services—which range from many to many dial-a-ride operations to structured DRT services to flex-route services—and has also sponsored the development of a technology platform that enables these services to be delivered with appropriate levels of automation and functionality. A set of business principles that linked technology enablement to cost-effective flexible transport services guided these developments. The Denver public transport authority's experiences are used to illustrate the relevance and viability of this approach to supporting transit accessibility.