I servizi di trasporto flessibili e l’accessibilità delle aree interne italiane: tra coesione territoriale e innovazione dell’offerta di trasporto pubblico locale

This doctoral thesis aims to explore the role of flexible public transport services, specifically Demand-Responsive Transport (DRT), in enhancing accessibility to essential services in Italy's internal areas. A preliminary analysis reveals the historical factors that have contributed to the accessibility gap between urban and non-urban regions, emphasizing how territorial models and service location theories create varying levels of disadvantage for these communities. Notably, the spatial dispersion of settlement structures emerges as a critical factor influencing both the delivery of essential services and the design of local public transport systems. Building on insights from the context of Italian internal areas and a comparative analysis with the Catalan comarcal model, the thesis further examines the evolution of DRT services. Initially regarded as a niche solution to expand coverage in areas poorly served by traditional scheduled transport, DRT has transformed into a vital alternative that integrates and enhances first- and last-mile connectivity within the sustainable transition of transport systems. The research provides a contemporary profile of DRT in Italy, outlining its characteristics through in-depth case studies—one from Italy and another from Catalonia. This analysis identifies key variables that influence the proliferation and sustainability of on-demand services, including their integration with existing public transport networks and the socio-demographic resilience of mobility demands. To address these findings, the thesis proposes a robustness indicator for DRT services, designed based on the identified dimensions. This indicator is experimentally validated through application to the 11 service segments operated by the public transport management in the Metropolitan City of Genoa, specifically the ChiamailBus initiative.