Accessibility of Brzozów by public transport on a local, regional and national scale

Major changes can be observed in the way that the public transport system in Poland operates as a result of the structural and ownership transformations of the former state-owned Motor Transport Company (Przedsiębiorstwo Komunikacji Samochodowej [PKS]). An analysis was carried out of the town’s existing public transport connections in order to determine the impact of these changes on the mobility of the residents of a small town. The town of Brzozów was selected for the research. After August 2013, PKS Krosno S.A. withdrew from the provision of services on many bus routes in that area. The external accessibility of public transport in Brzozów was presented at three scales: local, intra-regional and national. Each of these has its own characteristics, and the bus routes provided on each of these scales have different significance for the inhabitants and the functioning of the economy. Accessibility by public transport in Brzozów is very good and strongly correlated with the city’s functional links on local, regional and national scales. The main transport axis of the city is the route connecting Rzeszów (the capital of Podkarpackie Province) with the Bieszczady Mountains (an area of great value for tourism). On the local market, the desire to adapt the carriers’ provision to the needs of students and the employees of large companies, while providing for university students on the market for long-distance transport, provided the main motivations for changes in the public transport system in the area of Brzozów Municipality.