Demand-responsive transport (DRT) is promoted as an inclusive solution to first- and last-mile mobility challenges, but little is known about the barriers to adoption among people with poor health.
Dr. Haruka Kato, a junior associate professor at Osaka Metropolitan University, examined the factors shaping this population's acceptance and use of DRT in Senboku New Town, Osaka. The study applied the Unified Theory of Acceptance and Use of Technology-3 (UTAUT-3) to assess the opportunities and challenges for using DRT.
The findings reveal that community involvement is a powerful driver of acceptance. The study showed that residents' intention to use DRT was strongly linked to citizen engagement, alongside personal habits and innovativeness. However, the research uncovered a critical gap for people with poor health: the willingness to use the service did not automatically lead to actual use. Many potential users faced practical barriers despite their high interest. The most significant hurdles were a lack of convenient mobility points near their homes and difficulties navigating smartphone-based booking systems. The findings strongly suggest that increasing the density of stops in residential areas is crucial to making DRT truly accessible.
"In Senboku New Town, DRT services operate through a cross-sector partnership program, where the DRT administrator and operator is partnered with 15 local commercial, amenity, and healthcare facilities to establish on-site mobility points and offer discounts to DRT users," said Dr. Kato. "These cross-sector partnerships significantly strengthen the intention to use DRT by increasing citizen engagement."
The findings were published in Transportation Research Interdisciplinary Perspectives.
