Impact of Economic Crisis on Passenger Transportation – Case of Travelling to the Greek Mainland from Crete

  • Eleni Chita School of Science and Technology, Hellenic Open University
  • Efi Drimili School of Science and Technology, Hellenic Open University
  • Zoe Gareiou School of Science and Technology, Hellenic Open University
  • Christina Milioti School of Science and Technology, Hellenic Open University
  • Antigoni Vranna School of Science and Technology, Hellenic Open University
  • Stavros Poulopoulos School of Engineering and Digital Sciences, Nazarbayev University
  • Efthimios Zervas School of Science and Technology, Hellenic Open University
Keywords: transport, economic crisis, Greece, Crete, public opinion, Principal Components Analysis

Abstract

The Greek economic crisis of 2009 onwards has affected all aspects of social and economic life of the country, including transportation. The present study focuses on the impact of economic crisis on the long distance transportation between the island of Crete in Greece, the largest Greek island and one of the largest in the Mediterranean Sea, and the Greek mainland. A questionnaire survey was used to investigate the opinions of the Cretans on the way the economic crisis influenced their transportation to the Greek mainland. The results of the survey show that the frequency of the Cretans’ travels was significantly limited, owing to the increased direct or indirect associated cost, due to the economic crisis. Especially for those who struggled to make ends meet, the transportation to the mainland dropped to the bare essentials. Furthermore, the respondents deemed that the 
deregulation of the Greek maritime and airline markets was also to blame for the high fares, thus they favoured a regulated public transport sector and were against privatization. Inevitably, financially vulnerable individuals were the most preoccupied with these issues. A feeling of isolation and exclusion was revealed by the sample on occasions when the scheduled trips were cancelled by the operators due to exogenous parameters.

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Published
2020-05-10
How to Cite
1.
Chita E, Drimili E, Gareiou Z, Milioti C, Vranna A, Poulopoulos S, Zervas E. Impact of Economic Crisis on Passenger Transportation – Case of Travelling to the Greek Mainland from Crete. Promet [Internet]. 2020May10 [cited 2024Mar.29];32(3):347-60. Available from: http://traffic.fpz.hr/index.php/PROMTT/article/view/3255
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Articles