Evaluación de la accesibilidad al transporte público en la parroquia La Peaña del cantón Pasaje- provincia de El Oro

Abstract

Mobility plays an important role in people's daily lives and affects their access to different services and opportunities. This is particularly significant in rural areas, where geographical limitations can hinder access to businesses, financial institutions, healthcare services, and educational opportunities. In this case, it is necessary to analyze the level of availability of public transportation in these areas. The current research focuses on La Peaña parish, located in Pasaje Canton, El Oro Province, Ecuador. La Peaña, like many other rural areas, faces significant challenges in terms of mobility and basic access. The purpose of this study is to understand and evaluate the current situation of public transportation in this particular area. The territorial extension of La Peaña in relation to surrounding localities such as Machala and Pasaje offers an interesting panorama in terms of mobility of its population. Daily, many residents are forced to travel to these neighboring cities for various reasons to obtain educational opportunities, find job opportunities, or engage in recreational and entertainment activities. This issue highlights the importance of public transportation as a means of connecting rural and urban areas. To address these issues, a comprehensive study of the physical and social context of the parish will be conducted. This on-site analysis will determine the coverage of public transportation routes and assess the accessibility of public transportation for residents. Additionally, the physical factors affecting the mobility of the population, such as integrity, distance, infrastructure, and other parameters of transportation stops, as well as the availability of private cars and the opportunities for different members of this transportation system, will be examined. One of the main objectives of this study is to identify the problems, based on technical criteria, that La Peaña residents may face when using public transportation and ultimately evaluate these criteria with methods previously used for this type of analysis so that the responsible entity can generate solutions to improve accessibility. This may include optimizing existing transportation routes, implementing transportation services adapted to the needs of rural residents, and investing in transportation infrastructure to facilitate the movement of people within and outside the parish. Additionally, it is expected that this study will contribute to a deeper understanding of mobility issues prevalent in rural areas. Analyzing the specific case of La Peaña yields lessons and recommendations that can be applied to other rural areas with similar characteristics. This may include public policies aimed at improving rural transportation infrastructure, as well as economic development programs that promote job creation and local opportunities. In summary, the aim of this research is to analyze and evaluate the availability of public transportation in La Peaña Parish in order to identify challenges and opportunities to improve residents' mobility. Through an interdisciplinary approach that combines technical aspects related to the theme of this research, it is expected to contribute to the sustainable development of this rural