Evaluation of Public Transportation Network for Excursion Tourism in Eastern Hokkaido

Abstract

Although the use of rental cars is increasing for sightseeing in Hokkaido, JR Hokkaido is facing the problem of the closure of its routes; thus, promoting the use of these routes through sightseeing is necessary to maintain them. However, the service level of public transportation, such as JR, and local buses, is low. This study aims to evaluate the service level of the public transportation network in the East Hokkaido area from the viewpoint of sightseeing. Using the timetable data of transportation operators, this study elucidated the number of tourist attractions that can be visited in a day using only JR and local buses and the ratio of waiting to total travel times. In addition, this study puts forward measures for enhancing service level by increasing the number of JR and local buses and by improving their timetables.