# Modeling Public Transportation Use Among Short-Term Rental Guests in Madrid
## 4 Discussion and Conclusions
Although discounts for STR guests might raise equity concerns with respect to residents, they can be a balanced strategy, as price incentives have proven effective in shifting travel behavior [21; 37]. Although such measures may imply an initial public cost, STR tourism has been linked to increased local employment [11] and higher visitor spending through the reinvestment of accommodation savings [12], with benefits that tend to reach peripheral districts often overlooked by conventional tourism. Strengthening connections between major transport hubs and outlying tourist attractions could also improve access. Additionally, encouraging STR platforms to highlight public transport options during the booking process and bundling transit passes with discounts to attractions may increase uptake, especially among first-time and international visitors. Together, these strategies can make public transport a more attractive choice, redistribute tourist flows beyond city centers, contribute to more sustainable tourism by lowering carbon emissions [38], and enhance overall travel satisfaction through the greater use of collective transit [39]. The main limitation of this study deals with the form of spreading the surveys, which was accomplished through 'lockers' and STR managing companies, as well as guests who self-check-in via key boxes, book entirely online without on-site management, or do not use luggage services (e.g., light travelers or those staying in centrally managed apartments). Such under-coverage could bias our estimates if excluded guests differ systematically in mobility patterns (for example, younger or more tech-savvy tourists rely more on collective transport [26; 40]). This can be overcome in future studies by employing direct online surveys or in-app survey invitations to include these guests. Another limitation is that the Euclidean distances from each accommodation to the nearest bus stop and metro stations were calculated. This method may introduce bias, as accommodations that are better connected (i.e., closer to public transport) may be more likely to attract guests, thereby skewing the sample. Further research can include distances or, even better, estimated times, from the accommodations to the main touristic points of interest. Further research is required to comprehensively assess the role of public transport in decentralizing STR tourism in Madrid. The findings indicate that tourists staying in peripheral areas of the city rely on PT more frequently than those residing in the central districts, including the central almond. Conducting more detailed surveys to capture specific routes and modes of transport used by tourists during their stay could help identify additional factors influencing PT usage, such as proximity to major attractions. Moreover, comparing the occupancy rates and prices of STR units across different city zones in relation to the connectivity in terms of travel time and distance to the most frequently visited tourist sites via PT would shed light on this field. Finally, the use of other modes of transport, such as taxis or micromobility, which was gathered during the survey, will be analyzed to gain insight into STR guests' urban mobility. In conclusion, short-term rentals can offer benefits, particularly for peripheral areas, where tourists may contribute economically by spending part of their budget locally. These areas should be adequately served by public transport to ensure efficient connectivity with major tourist attractions, thereby offsetting the greater distance with the advantage of more affordable accommodation. Furthermore, the clarity and accessibility of public transport services should be enhanced to avoid posing a barrier to tourists, especially those from international backgrounds. Conceptualization, D.G.-P., B.G. and A.O. ; methodology, D.G.-P.; software, D.G.-P.; validation, D.G.-P., B.G. and A.O. ; formal analysis, D.G.-P.; investigation, D.G.-P.; resources, D.G.-P.; data curation, D.G.-P.; writing--original draft preparation, D.G.-P., B.G. and A.O.