Advantages and difficulties of transport by charter as an enabler of university education in Northeast Brazil

Abstract

This paper reveals the travel characteristics; direct and indirect costs and travel times; users’ perceptions with respect to reliability, comfort and safety; and impact on the quality of academic performance for students in the Centro Acadêmico do Agreste of UFPE, located in Caruaru, Brazil, which has 3,000 students from 70 cities. Almost 50% of these students live in cities located within 100 km of Caruaru and commute for three hours on average (round-trip). These trips are mostly performed on non-regular intercity transport, chartered by users or municipalities. This kind of transport, apparently inadequate in operational terms, makes access to higher education possible for a significant proportion of students, keeping them residents of their hometowns.

Keywords

• Accessibility
• Commute
• Charter Transport
• Transport to Campus.