Abstract
The aim of the present study is to examine the local management of the Demand-Response-Transportation (DRT) service in Kita-Hiroshima town (Oasa), focusing on the networking of local actors. In this area, there is a characteristic DRT management. The results are summarized below.
As part of the recent policy transformation of public transportation by central and prefectural governments, DRT was introduced to supply public transportation for a little demand area. There are many areas such as this in northern Hiroshima. So, in northern Hiroshima, many municipalities introduce DRT after a series of municipal mergers, at the same time. During these developments, we observed a tendency of diversification of organized local actors concerned with management. In particular, the Kita-Hiroshima town has a unique local management system in which some local actors participate. That is to say, there are indirect participants and networks created by various local actors in Kita-Hiroshima town (Oasa). For this organized local actors, DRT operators can set up special services for promotion of use, use empty cars in local campaigns, and so on. They can therefore increase the proceeds and, by cooperating with progressing services, can benefit their own business. This is clearly a win-win situation.
However, such networking for progressing services is optional. Members of DRT networks use it as a tool of their business. One key person, the president of an operating company, works towards a vision of “sustaining public transportation towards local promotion of symbiotic economy” among local actors and administrative staff. In this way, they put the ideas into action.
Overall, we found there are two primary factors for DRT management in Kita-Hiroshima town (Oasa). One is the external transportation policy, which promotes restructuring local transportation at the local level. The other is the internal factor, which is social network and so on in the local area. These points suggest it is possible that the factor of diversity is a key element of the DRT management style.
