Evolution of the efficiency of metropolitan public transport areas during the financial crisis and recovery in Spain

摘要

Urban dispersion is a phenomenon that has taken place in most European urban areas since the second half of the 20th century. From the point of view of mobility, urban sprawl makes it difficult to provide a quality public transport (PT) service, thus increasing the use of private vehicles. In addition, during the financial crisis that has shaken Europe since 2007, cities have lost population whereas peri-urban areas have grown and there have also been significant economic cuts in the public sector, which has substantially affected the efficiency of PT. This study uses demographic and socioeconomic data from ten Spanish urban areas to assess the evolution of PT systems during the recession and the start of economic recovery. The analysis is carried out through the use of technical indicators (supply and demand) and economic indicators (fares and financing) at both urban and metropolitan level. Based on the calculated indicators and using a cluster analysis, groups of cities with common mobility patterns are obtained. The different patterns observed reflect the main results of different strategies in PT management. In this way we try to extract some lessons from the crisis about PT systems.