What moves us (tomorrow)?

Christian Muschwitz, Johannes Reimann
Intelligent public mobility in rural areas – learning from Scandinavia!

Abstract

Changes in the demographic and economic structure aggravate the disparities between urban and rural regions. The continuing, age-selective out-migration from peripheral areas leaves a strongly ageing population with individual economic and health restrictions behind, which will depend more than before on infrastructure that is increasingly expensive due to the remanence of costs. However, the spin down of rural regions cannot be stopped by an unshakable trust in individual car mobility that meets the demands of the future. A general debate about the exclusion of sub-areas justified by costs also does an injustice to the traditionally resident population. Instead, some European countries have always been practising the principles of flexible and multi-functional supply systems, for instance the combined transport of persons and goods in public transport, which can also lead to the stabilisation and networking of structures, processes and actors in German regions.

The article explains the history of ideas, the basic conditions and the impacts of the first case of the combined bus model in Germany and considers the future potentials of intelligent and flexible offers of public personal transport in rural areas.

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