Survey and Interview Data From Rural Areas With Demand Responsive Transit Services, 2024-2025

‘The Role of Demand Responsive Transport in Connecting People to Opportunities in Less Densely Populated Areas’ project (or ‘DRT-CPO’ for short) was funded by UK Research and Innovation (UKRI) and conducted between May 2024 and April 2025 by the University of the West of England (UWE Bristol) and the University of Leeds. Demand Responsive Transport (or DRT) is a flexible public transportation service that adjusts routes and schedules based on passenger demand, rather than following fixed routes and timetables. DRT has been viewed as having the potential to better meet the needs of local communities than fixed timetable bus services where demand is dispersed. The overall aim of the project was to assess DRT’s impact in unlocking educational, employment, social and other opportunities for residents in rural areas. In partnership with the county councils of Essex, Gloucestershire and Nottinghamshire, the project looked at the impact of DRT services in three rural case study areas, each including pockets of deprivation. The project sought outcome data for residents living both in DRT service areas and comparator areas, aimed at establishing differences in perceptions of transport availability and local area satisfaction. The project also sought detailed information on DRT use from DRT users in each of the three study areas.