Empirical analysis of urban transport demand of young people and prospects of sustainable transport policies

In this paper, some considerations on the reform of local public transport are presented. In the light of new exigencies, the hope is that the adoption of competitive manoeuvres, although limited, brings about economic advantages and appreciable qualitative improvements of transport services. This should be possible due to new entrants on the market that could favour the implementation of innovations, at present hampered by monopolistic conduct of incumbents. Furthermore, local administrators should support measures linked to sustainable mobility to favour citizens who need new and elastic instruments to satisfy their needs as users of urban space. Furthermore, a survey on the status quo of local public transport in Bari – a southern Italian city – is presented and a random utility model has been used to investigate probable attitudes of young people for the future. It provides indications on the concrete needs of public transport users and there are lessons which can be learned from the Bari case, also with regard to new tools of sustainable mobility.