(1)A Study on Railway Demand in Local Areas: -Empirical Analysis by Panel Data -

摘要

In this paper, we estimate various elasticities of demand by commuting to work, commuting to school, and non-periodic, using panel data of 10 years for regional railways. The fare elasticity is estimated to be -1.037 for commuting to work, -0.742 for commuting to school, -0.831 for non-periodic service, and the elasticity value is generally large as compared with the previous study estimating the traffic demand function in Japan. As a measure to expand demand, the reduction of fare, the increase of the number of railway services and to put off the last train were quantitatively suggested by this study. Taking into account the viewpoint of social benefits, it is considered that the involvement of public institutions for various measures related to the improvement of convenience should consider in local railway policy for the future.