A new approach to transport-related social exclusion in rural Hungary

Abstract

Accessibility to central settlements is a key issue in rural areas and, in terms of public transport services, both space and time are crucial dimensions. As part of my PhD research, this analysis aims to apply the Zimpel index to evaluate settlement accessibility in rural Hungary. This method is based on a dataset including public transport supply (no. of services in a working day, average journey times) between rural settlements and their microregion centers. The outcome of this analysis is the assessment of how public transport networks adjust to administrative boundaries. Findings may pave the way for a list of policy recommendations for service improvement, the establishment of demand responsive services to increase accessibility in (micro)regions that face unacceptable level of transport related social exclusion.