A study of beneficiary charge in the operation of community bus

From the point of view of public and private finance

Abstract

In this paper, I consider the balance of the beneficiary charge on the operation of community bus from the point of view of public and personal finance. In rural areas, it is difficult to maintain route bus, and the number of cases that local governments operate community bus instead of route bus is increasing to secure transportation. They also operate community bus in rural areas where there is no public transportation as one of citizens' transportation. Maintaining public transportation requires public and private investment, but the burden of people who use it (beneficiaries) is also necessary. I conduct a survey of community bus system in local governments of Fukui prefecture, compare it with examples in other areas, propose harmonization of fiscal burden and beneficiary charge and prospects for the future.

Some local governments adopt DRT (Demand Responsive Transport) to reduce the operation expenses of community bus. DRT is not cost-effective unconditionally. Citizensneed to have a consciousness to operate community buses themselves.In depopulated areas where a traffic system doesn't have, ridesharing of private cars can be the substitution means.In such areas, the exist of transportation means is an important issue.The related group including municipality should consider its possibility of collecting membership fee or using Crowdfunding, and it is necessary for all people of depopulated areas to perform the policy that retain community bus.

To improve the convenience of citizens better, I suggest that the beneficiary charge is necessary to maintain the transportation networkand that all departments (industry, academia, government, bank and citizen) need to cooperate to solve this problem.