INEQUALITY OF PUBLIC TRANSPORT SERVICES IN LITHUANIAN MUNICIPALITIES

Abstract

The public transport system must be developed evenly, it must be equally accessible to all groups of the population, regardless of gender, age, financial situation, etc. In Lithuania public transport is organized differently. Access to public transport services in rural areas further away from the main transport routes is limited. This leads to social and regional exclusion, which has a negative long-term impact on the communities life. In many rural areas, the population is scattered, therefore, public transport services in such areas are economically unviable. It is not beneficial for public transport operators to organize public transport routes to places where demand is lower. As a result, both public transport passengers flows and given financing are uneven. The aim of this article is to analyze the problem of inequality of public transport services in Lithuanian municipalities based on the collected data. To achieve this aim, the review analysis research method is used in this article. Research tasks: to present the problem of regional social exclusion, to present indicators describing the inequality of regional public transport services, to collect data of the indicators under consideration and to perform a review analysis of the collected data.