Research contributions to managing transit service reliability

Service reliability problems are a major concern shared by transit system users and operators. Unreliable service leads to additional vehicle requirements and higher operating costs; passengers suffer increased wait time and higher travel time uncertainty, leading to a general dissatisfaction with service and the possibility of seeking other means of transport. Because of the significance of this problem, considerable research attention has been focused in recent years on developing ways to improve service reliability. This paper examines contributions which have been made to managing transit service reliability. This topic encompasses the subjects of vehicle run time, run time variation, headway variation, passenger wait time, and reliability control. Both theoretical and empirical approaches have been undertaken, and each has contributed to our knowledge in addressing the overall problem. Significant contributions to the state-of-the-art are reported and the implications on present practice are discussed.     

Developing intermodal transport for small flows over short distances

Intermodal road-rail freight transport works best within markets with relatively large flows occurring over long distances, which corresponds poorly to the current demand for transport in the European Union. The purpose of this paper is to compare the capabilities of conventional European intermodal transport, with special reference to the competitiveness in markets with small flows over short distances, and to explore innovative concepts. Using a technological systems approach, key functions are identified as being the inducement and blocking mechanisms that affect the development and diffusion path of this 'small flows over short distances' (SFSD) system, providing a tool for empirical delineation of the system. These concepts are illustrated and analysed through a case study of the Swedish development project Light-combi. The results show that market and financial uncertainties, insufficient network connectivity and policies favouring the existing technology paradigm, severely hamper the development and diffusion of SFSD systems.     

Competition in multi-modal transport networks: A dynamic approach

We analyze the behavior of market participants in a multi-modal commuter network, where roads are not priced, but public transport has a usage fee, which is set while taking the effects on the roads into account. In particular, we analyze the difference between markets with a monopolistic public transport operator, which operates all public transport links, and markets in which separate operators own each public transport link. To do so, we consider a simple dynamic transport network consisting of two serial segments and two parallel congestible modes of transport. We obtain a reduced form of the public transport operator’s optimal fare setting problem and show that, even if the total travel demand is inelastic, serial Bertrand–Nash competition on the public transport links leads to different fares than a serial monopoly; a result not observed in a static model. This results from the fact that trip timing decisions, and therefore the generalized prices of all commuters, are influenced by all fares in the network. We then use numerical simulations to show that, contrary to the results obtained in classic studies on vertical competition, monopolistic fares are not always lower than duopolistic fares; the opposite can also occur. We also explore how different parameters influence the price differential, and how this affects welfare.     

Urban public transport in Europe: Technology diffusion and market organisation

Technological change and incremental technology, at various levels, are believed to have played an important role in the success of urban public transport in Europe. In this paper, a historical overview of the evolution of different transport modes across different European cities is presented. Our major concern is with the processes of diffusion of urban transport modes in European cities and, in particular, with the factors, mainly of an economic nature, that may explain their rates of adoption across Europe. Among these factors, special attention is given to the role played by the dimension and organisation of public transport markets in the rates of adoption of different public transport modes. The main conclusion of the paper is that the success of the introduction of a new transport mode appeared to be mainly related to its ability to provide cheaper and more reliable transport services compared with previous transport modes, and that, in the case of the electric tram, this was achieved by transforming of the structure of the market relating to this urban transport mode into monopolies.     

The transition to zero-emission buses in public transport – The need for institutional innovation

Zero-emission buses (ZEBs) are considered a vital element in the transition to a more sustainable (urban) transport system. Both battery-electric and hydrogen fuel cell buses do however face significant barriers to large-scale implementation. These barriers, e.g. high investment costs and limited driving range, are generally regarded as exogenous technological barriers which are beyond the sphere of influence of actors in the public transport sector. In this paper we question this assumption and therefore we look at the role of institutions in public bus transport. Based on a series of interviews with stakeholders in the Dutch public transport sector we argue that various regulative, normative, and cognitive institutions discourage the use of zero-emission buses in public transport. We conclude with several suggestions for institutional innovation to increase the chances for these buses.     

Breakthrough innovations in intermodal freight transport

Breakthrough innovations, whether technological, organizational or both, are a necessity if the market share of intermodal freight transport is to expand. The main growth potential lies in the markets for flows over short distances, for perishable and high-value commodities, for small consignments, and for flows that demand speed, reliability and flexibility. It will take radical innovations to produce a breakthrough in the modal split and allow these new markets to be conquered. This special issue is based on papers presented at an international conference on freight transport automation and multimodality, held in Delft in May 2002, that are illustrative of the direction of breakthrough research and development (R&D) aimed at increasing the market share for intermodal transport.     

Sociological perspectives on travel and mobilities: A review

There is increasing interest in understanding and achieving changes in travel behaviour, but a focus on individual behaviour change may overlook the potential for achieving change via transformation at the levels of institutions, cultures and societies – the domains of sociological inquiry. In this paper, we review sociological contributions to the literature on travel and ‘mobilities’. We summarise four key themes which supplement or contradict arguments made in mainstream transport debates on behaviour change. The first involves focusing on travel ‘practices’ as social entities with dynamics of their own, rather than on individual behaviours. The second relates to the changing natures of societies, and the implications for travel. The third explores and interprets the issue of car dependence in ways which highlight the ethical, experiential and emotional dimensions associated with car use, its symbolic role in societies increasingly concerned with consumption, and its differing roles within different cultures. Finally, the ‘new mobilities paradigm’ highlights issues such as the increasing links between travel and new technologies, and the primacy of social networks in influencing travel decisions. These themes emphasise the importance of understanding the broader contexts in which travel choices are made. In particular, the implication is that the creation of more sustainable travel patterns will require changes at a range of social levels, not simply in individual behaviours, and that changes to transport will inevitably be linked with, and influenced by, broader changes in the values and practices developed by societies as a whole.     

Modelling the provision of transport with planned or market‐determined public transport services

Implications of the difference between planned and market‐determined public transport services for the modelling of the transport system and its use are examined. In the former case, the task for government seeking to optimise performance of the transport system has a standard bi‐level form, but in the latter case, the lower‐level problem in the bi‐level formulation is to determine mutually consistent solutions to a pair of optimisation problems. The relevance of the mutually consistent solution in this context is contrasted with its sometimes misleading role in the context of optimisation of urban traffic signal control.     

Singapore: The Development of a World Class Transport System

Singapore's Land Transport Authority, formed in 1995, set itself a mission of producing a world class transport system. This paper assesses the extent to which this goal is being achieved. It outlines the structure within which transport decisions are taken and indicates the freedom this gives to develop integrated transport and land‐use strategies. It demonstrates the long‐term stability in transport strategy from 1972 onwards, and the key contributions to that strategy of land‐use controls and travel‐demand management measures. The individual elements of the strategy are then reviewed and innovations identified in demand management, public transport service provision and information technology. Finally, the key attributes that have led to the success of the strategy are identified, and it is suggested that many of these are transferable to other cities of the developed world.     

A procedure for estimating transit subsidization requirements for developing countries

The paper presents a procedure that has been developed for estimating subsidization requirements for urban transit services in developing countries. The procedure is based on a subsidization policy of reducing transport expenditure burden on the average commuter, by maintaining his transport expenditure-income ratio at a reasonable level. It is designed for both regulated and deregulated transport markets. It requires, as input, historical data (previous year) on fare, productivity, and load factor for the transport service or mode concerned, the transport expenditure-income ratio distribution of the commuters, and the current level of commuter personal transport allowance. It is based on the premise that transport expenditure-income ratio is inversely related to income. The subsidization formula developed in the paper yields a level of subsidy that is commensurate with the level of control a government is able to exercise over transit operations.     

Is a new applied transportation research field emerging?––A review of intermodal rail–truck freight transport literature

Intermodal freight transport has developed into a significant sector of the transport industry in its own right. This development has been followed by an increase in intermodal freight transportation research. We contend that a new transportation research application field is emerging; and that, while still in a pre-paradigmatic phase, it is now time to move on to a more mature independent research field. An independent research field can be justified because intermodal transport is a complex system that has characteristics which distinguishes it from other transport systems. We have reviewed 92 publications in order to identify the characteristics of the intermodal research community and scientific knowledge base. This paper will discuss aspects of this research, assessing the status quo and seeking directions for the future. To conclude, we will propose an intermodal research agenda which can direct the intermodal research field towards a period of “normal science”.     

Multiple hub network and high-speed railway: Connectivity,gateway, and airport leakage

This paper considers the relation between the role of airport as gateway (inter–intra transit airport) and the connectivity between air transport and high-speed rail (HSR) transport to discuss the possibility of a multiple gateway system with HSR. We deal with both international and domestic transport markets in the model analysis. In the international markets, only airlines compete against each other, while in the domestic market airlines and HSR compete against each other. The results suggest that the improvement of connectivity between air and HSR at the airport increases its international passengers, and therefore, that strengthens its role as gateway, for example, gathering more inter–intra transit passengers. However, the results also suggest that the demand of the area which the airport belongs to affects the role of airport as gateway.     

Air transport and economic growth: a review of the impact mechanism and causal relationships

ABSTRACT

The impacts of air transport on the economy arise both directly, via activity in the aviation sector; and indirectly, via increased spending and wider economic benefits associated with improved access to resources, markets, technology and economic mass. Economic activity, in turn, supports and generates demand for air transport. Despite its potential importance, the reciprocal nature of the causal relationship between air transport and economic performance has remained somewhat understudied. This paper provides a synthesis review of the channels the aviation sector interacts with regional economy. The review focuses on quantitative studies that contribute to the state-of-the-art understandings of the causality. We find that the reciprocal causal relationship is more likely to prevail in less developed economies. For more developed economies, only one direction of the causality is recognised, which runs from air transport to economic growth. Especially substantial is the effect of airline enplanement on service-related employment. The reverse direction of the relationship is, however, not as significant as believed in a causal sense within the developed world. Therefore, cautions need to be taken when applying income elasticities (such as the elasticity of air passenger demand with respect to GDP) in air travel demand forecasting, which implicitly assumes that economic growth causally leads to air traffic increment. Based on the fundamental links between air transport and economic growth, some typical imperfections and inefficiencies in aviation markets are discussed and promising avenues for future research are proposed.     

Comparison of road freight transport trends in Europe. Coupling and decoupling factors from an Input–Output structural decomposition analysis

Decoupling road freight transport from economic growth has been acknowledged by the European Union as a key means to improving sustainability. It is therefore important to identify both the coupling and decoupling drivers of road freight transport demand in order to determine possible factors that may contribute to reduce road transport in the future without curbing economic development. This research proposes an Input–Output (IO) structural decomposition analysis (SDA) to explain road freight transport in terms of a set of key factors that have strongly influenced road freight demand in recent decades in European countries—such as economic growth, economic structure and the evolution of road transport intensity (including improvements in both supply and transport systems). This methodological approach allows us to quantify and compare their contribution in different European countries to either increase or decrease road freight transport demand. The empirical basis for this analysis is a dataset of nine European countries which have IO tables and road transport data available from 2000 to 2007, comprising data on domestic production, imports and exports as well as tonne-kms for 11 types of commodity classes. The results show that, as a whole, aggregate road transport demand has grown—driven mainly by economic activity—but this growth has been strongly curbed in some countries by changes in road freight transport intensity and moderately by the dematerialization of the economy. International transport has been also proven to be a key factor driving road freight transport volumes. Moreover, the increased penetration of foreign operators in national haulage markets appears to have reinforced the final decoupling levels observed in some cases.     

Well-being and Transport: Taking Stock and Looking Forward

ABSTRACT

It is only recently that researchers have attempted to directly link transport to models of well-being and in turn try to map transport's linkages to well-being outcomes. This paper seeks to add to this new literature by introducing a dynamic model of well-being, which highlights the different domains that make up well-being, and in turn — through providing one of the most holistic and comprehensive discussions of the current well-being literature — provide an evaluation of our current understanding of transport's relationship to well-being. The paper also seeks to highlight the different dimensions and complexities of seeking to monitor and improve well-being through transport policy. It will in turn be argued that the varied and complex sets of outcomes that arise from transport policy interventions, and the multiple ways in which they affect well-being, make a well-being approach (that measures policy outcomes in terms of units of well-being) of particular value for policy-makers. However, due to the complexities in comparing positive well-being outcomes, it is argued that the best use of well-being evidence for the transport sector may be to try to minimise the negative effects on well-being caused by policy outcomes.     

A freight transport price optimization model with multi bounded-rational customers

Transportation - To analyze the effect of customer enterprises’ behavior on freight transport markets with various products, a bi-level programming model for freight pricing is developed. The...     

Quality of institutions and private participation in transport infrastructure investment: Evidence from developing countries

In recent decades, owing to a series of public debt crises and constraints on government expenditure, infrastructure investment has dropped significantly in both developed and developing countries. To counterbalance this trend, Public–Private Partnerships (PPPs) schemes have been increasingly adopted. In this paper, we explore the determinants of the degree of private participation in transport infrastructure projects in a large sample of developing countries. By using a large sample of transport projects included in the World Bank Private Participation in Infrastructure Projects database, we document that greater participation by private parties in PPP contracts is associated with better institutions in terms of lower corruption, civil freedom, and a better regulatory framework.     

Applying behavioural theories to studying the influence of climate change on young people’s future travel intentions

Transport policy in the UK is seeking to promote the development of low carbon transport technology and to encourage people to choose to use low carbon travel options. This paper draws on existing behavioural theories to study young people’s travel behaviour intentions and the influence on these from their knowledge of, and willingness to act on, climate change. The study involved a series of focus groups with young people aged 11-18 years, where attitudes to transport modes, attitudes towards climate change and travel behaviour intentions were discussed. Knowledge and values are established as the key determinants of young people’s attitudes and behaviour intentions towards transport in the context of climate change. More specifically it is established that young people’s values emphasise speed and freedom and that it is important to young people that the mode of transport they choose is reflective of the image they want to portray.     

A game model of international trade,transport costs,invasive species,and protocol compliance

We study the duopolistic interaction between two monopolists located in two different countries who sell an imperfect substitute good in two markets. The traded good is transported between the two nations on ships using solid wood packing materials (SWPMs) and hence the presence of one or more invasive species is a problem. We use a game model to analyze this interaction in three steps. First, we study the benchmark case of autarky or no trade between the two nations. Second, we introduce transport costs and then study the effect of free trade on the profits of the two monopolists. Finally, we suppose that invasive species are present in the SWPMs. This fact requires compliance with an environmental protocol. We model this compliance by increasing the transport costs associated with trade and then demonstrate that a version of the so called Porter hypothesis holds. In other words, we show that compliance with a cost increasing environmental protocol can give rise to higher profits for the two monopolists under consideration.     

Bottom-up grassroots innovation in transport: motivations,barriers and enablers

Abstract

There is a growing phenomenon of grassroots innovation, that is, that triggered by individual users or communities (physical or virtual) seeking a solution to a personal or societal problem. This has great potential as a new source of sustainable transport innovations, but has received little attention to date. This study conducted 16 in-depth interviews and a workshop with grassroots innovators in transport. A detailed thematic analysis of the interview data identified: catalysts for the idea and the motivation behind its pursuit; the barriers experienced (those that were overcome and those that were not); and the enablers that permitted the innovations to continue and to flourish. The paper concludes by identifying the conditions that need to exist for such innovations to be created, developed and exploited in order that their potential for increasing the sustainability of the transport system can be fulfilled.