Chapter 8: The Role of Flexible Transport Services in Moving Towards Net Zero and Greater Sustainability

This chapter highlights the major issues facing the flexible transport sector (see Mulley & Nelson, 2016) and considers its potential contribution to the net zero agenda. Flexible transport services (FTSs) are defined here as collective services provided for passengers that are flexible in one or more of the dimensions of route, vehicle allocation, vehicle operator, type and time of payment, and passenger category. Each of the dimensions can vary along a continuum of demand responsiveness, from services which, on the one hand, are fixed some time before operation (the fixed route), to services where, on the other hand, the dimensions are determined closer to the time of operation (such services are often commonly referred to as demand responsive transport (DRT)). This chapter encompasses all aspects of flexible transport in contrast to what might be perceived as a narrower focus on paratransit, which in certain contexts is strongly associated with health and special needs. With the exception of the discussion related to informal transport in developing countries, here the term ‘paratransit’ is reserved for the FTSs in the United States.