Integration of Goods and Passenger Transportation in Rural Areas: A Review

Problems of sustainable development in rural areas are highlighted in the context of Sustainable Development Goals. Both Goal 9 and Goal 11 refer to the accessibility of infrastructure and public transport systems. Passenger and freight transport often lack adequate infrastructure and services in rural areas, typically characterized by lower population density and greater territorial dispersion. Integrating passengers and goods flow through scheduled or on-demand services is crucial to reducing territorial gaps. Services like Demand Responsive Transport (DRT), with its logistics aspects and other passenger-goods integration services, are well-suited to contexts with weak transport demand situations that can lead to potential social exclusion and demand niches not covered by traditional public transport. This research presents a general overview to assess some of the main applications of passenger-goods integration services in rural contexts. An evaluation of the current state of the literature on integration between passenger and goods transportation, available in scientific databases (Scopus, ScienceDirect, Web of Science, and IEEE Xplore), is performed. 18 contributions were in-depth analyzed through a geographical and temporal classification, focusing on several aspects, including the methodologies adopted, types of services, and classification of study areas. The study reveals a growing interest in the topic, with 10 contributions published in 2023 alone. Most of these contributions originate from China and Japan, respectively, 7 and 3 of them. Additional contributions come from several European countries, especially Sweden and Italy. The research findings highlight the growing interest in this topic in the scientific literature, underscoring the planning and implementation of combined transport services in line with the goals of the Green Deal and Agenda 2030, and considering methodologies from Transportation Systems Models.