2021 Volume 7 Issue 2 Pages A_185-A_192
Ride-sharing service is being considered as a new local public transit system in aging and depopulated rural areas in Japan. The purpose of this study is to consider the possibility of ride-sharing services in order to promote exchanges within community. In this study, we conducted a questionnaire survey in two depopulated areas in Niigata Prefecture, where the level of dependence on automobiles are different. The results suggest that the areas with low dependence on cars have high usage intentions of ride-share service, and that increasing the number of users may lead to the promotion of community exchange. On the other hand, in areas that are highly dependent on cars, although the intention to use the service was not high, it was suggested that the system could be used in combination with events to promote exchanges. However, how to recruit drivers is still a challenge in both regions and flexible countermeasures are necessary.
