Twelfth Global Studies Conference

Abstract

Daily and reliable access to public transport services is necessary for reaching economic prosperity, social justice, social cohesion and sustainability by states. Without access to public transport, people who cannot use individual means of transport are excluded from the full scope of economic and social activities. The problem is present both in densely populated urban areas as well as in peripheral remote rural areas. Accessibility to passenger transport determines the level of transport-related social exclusion, therefore the role of the state is to provide the legal, institutional, and financial framework for establishing and operating a transport network that may answer to the needs of the citizens. Transport policies are valuable instruments that can shape and drive the government to improve the economic, social and civic activities of citizens. The research will analyze the level of transport-related social inclusion in the European countries by taking into consideration the data provided by national transport regulators. On this basis, the concept of the Passenger Transport Justice Index will be developed. This index will be designed as a tool for measuring the level of accessibility to the passenger transport services on the level of national states. The purpose of the research is to identify key features of the transport policies, and economic, social, and geographic characteristics of the states which are the most successful with providing accessible transport for their citizens.