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on Transport Economics |
| By: | Linn, Joshua (Resources for the Future); Yang, Jun; Liu, Antung A.; Qin, Ping |
| Abstract: | To reduce pervasive problems of traffic congestion and air pollution, many cities in developing countries have considered restricting vehicle ownership. There is no empirical evidence on these programs’ efficacy and costs, but other prior work suggests that not having a car increases the cost of commuting and limits the set of job opportunities. However, these prior studies do not address the endogeneity of car ownership. We leverage a unique policy, the Beijing license plate lottery, to estimate the effect of restricting vehicles on distance traveled and commuting time, while addressing the endogeneity of car ownership. We find that adding a car has little impact on total distance traveled or time spent traveling, but a large impact on mode of travel. While reducing car ownership by 20 percent and car travel distance by 10 percent in Beijing, this policy has not added significantly to overall distances traveled or commute times. |
| Date: | 2016–05–20 |
| URL: | http://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:rff:dpaper:dp-16-18&r=tre |
| By: | Benoît Laine; Alex Van Steenbergen |
| Abstract: | This paper seeks to understand how the current tax subsidy for the ownership and use of employer-provided cars influence behaviour by its recipients. We first seek to clarify how it affects the choice about cars, i.e. the number of cars a household owns, their engine size and their value. Second, we study the impact of the subsidy on the propensity to use a car for commuting and the number of kilometres driven for commuting and for other, private purposes. The analysis has been made on the basis of the BELDAM survey, a rich dataset on mobility behaviour in Belgium. |
| JEL: | D62 H24 R41 |
| Date: | 2016–02–24 |
| URL: | http://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:fpb:wpaper:1603&r=tre |
| By: | Bram Van Meldert; Liesje De Boeck |
| Abstract: | Vehicle automation technologies are rapidly developing and will be available soon. Businesses in the logistics industry can develop a competitive advantage when effectively adopting this new technology. However, only limited research exists about the impact of autonomous vehicles on the logistics industry. The aim of this paper is to provide a broad introduction to autonomous vehicles, after which the usage and potential consequences of autonomous vehicles in logistics is discussed. It is clear the adoption of AVs holds the promise of completely innovating the way in which mobility and transportation logistics are dealt with and many research opportunities remain unexplored. |
| Keywords: | Autonomous vehicle, Automated guided vehicle, Logistics, Secure settings, Long-haul trucking, last mile |
| Date: | 2016–06 |
| URL: | http://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:ete:kbiper:543558&r=tre |
| By: | Se-il Mun |
| Abstract: | This paper considers the following scheme for the joint provision of an international transport infrastructure: two countries jointly establish an operator for the infrastructure who is then responsible for collecting the user charges. The costs of the infrastructure investment are covered by nancial contributions from the two countries, and the revenue from the user charges is distributed according to the share of contribution. The governments of the two countries choose the contribution that maximizes their national welfare. Assuming that the infrastructure use is non-rival, we show that nancing the infrastructure with revenue from user charges is better than nancing with tax revenue. We extend the analysis by incorporating congestion in infrastructure use. It is shown that independent decisions on contributions by two governments attain the rst-best optimum when the operator sets the user charge such that the toll revenue just covers the cost of the investment. We further examine the conditions under which joint provision is realized at Nash equilibrium. |
| Keywords: | international transport infrastructure, joint provision, congestion, self- nancing |
| JEL: | H54 L91 R41 R48 |
| Date: | 2016–03 |
| URL: | http://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:kue:epaper:e-15-015&r=tre |
| By: | Engelson, Leonid; Fosgerau, Mogens |
| Abstract: | This paper explores the relationships between three types of measures of the cost of travel time variability: measures based on scheduling preferences and implicit departure time choice, Bernoulli type measures based on a univariate function of travel time, and mean-dispersion measures. We characterise measures that are both scheduling measures and mean-dispersion measures and measures that are both Bernoulli and mean-dispersion. There are no measures that are both scheduling and Bernoulli. We consider the impact of requiring that measures are additive or homogeneous, proving also a new strong result on the utility rates in an additive scheduling measure. These insights are useful for selecting cost measures to use in applications. |
| Keywords: | value; travel time; variability; reliability |
| JEL: | D1 D8 R4 |
| Date: | 2016 |
| URL: | http://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:pra:mprapa:72255&r=tre |
| By: | Ken Fortson; Anu rangarajan |
| Keywords: | Armenia, Rural road rehabilitation |
| JEL: | F Z |
| URL: | http://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:mpr:mprres:64d3fdc3d4a24ea894685cfc6347fa41&r=tre |
| By: | Henriette Koch (Department of Management Science, Otto-von-Guericke University Magdeburg); Tino Henke (Department of Management Science, Otto-von-Guericke University Magdeburg); Gerhard Wäscher (Department of Management Science, Otto-von-Guericke University Magdeburg; School of Mechanical, Electronic and Control Engineering, Beijing Jiaotong University) |
| Abstract: | In this paper, a genetic algorithm for the multi-compartment vehicle routing problem with continuously flexible compartment sizes is proposed. In this problem, supplies of several product types have to be collected from customer locations and transported to a depot at minimal cost. In order to avoid mixing of different product types which are transported in the same vehicle, the vehicle’s capacity can be separated into a limited number of compartments. The size of each compartment can be selected arbitrarily within the limits of the vehicle’s capacity, and in each compartment one or several supplies of the same product type can be transported. For solving this problem, a genetic algorithm is presented. The performance of the proposed algorithm is evaluated by means of extensive numerical experiments. Furthermore, the economic benefits of using continuously flexible compartments are investigated. |
| Keywords: | vehicle routing, multiple compartments, genetic algorithm, heuristics |
| Date: | 2016–06 |
| URL: | http://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:mag:wpaper:160004&r=tre |
| By: | Detros, Keith C.; Navarro, Adoracion M.; Napalang, Ma. Sheilah G.; Agatep, Pia May G. |
| Abstract: | Road funds like the Motor Vehicle User's Charge (MVUC) Fund in the Philippines are a kind of earmarked funds. Though without shortcomings, earmarking funds through the MVUC continues to be relevant as it is able to ensure a stable flow of resources for public road expenditures. The study identifies the shortcomings and areas for improvement. In assessing the different stages of the MVUC process, the study finds that transparency and efficiency in collection have to be improved through automation and accurate recording. It also finds that project identification and investment programming need to adhere to the recommended procedures in the operating manual. As there are indications of fund underutilization, the study recommends accelerating the utilization of funds through advanced project development and investment programming. After examining five MVUC-funded projects, the authors find that an impact monitoring system is present in only one case that is recently finished, and the sparse data available are not enough to quantitatively establish impacts. Nevertheless, findings from field visits and interviews with beneficiaries reveal that there are positive benefits from the MVUC mechanism. An examination of successful cases in other countries also reveals good practices that are worth looking into, such as ensuring that the road fund administrator is strictly an administrator rather than project implementer, advanced preparation of long-term vision and medium- to short-term road investment programs, and variations of the reimbursement-basis payment system that is supported by strong audit systems. |
| Keywords: | Philippines, public finance, road fund, earmarking |
| Date: | 2016 |
| URL: | http://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:phd:rpseri:dp_2016-26&r=tre |
| By: | Dubrovsky, Valery; Yaroshevich, Natalya; Kuzmin, Evgeny |
| Abstract: | Purpose: Offer an alternative method to assess operational performance of companies in transport infrastructure of a region by making a comparison between transaction costs. The method is supposed to be a cross-functional and possibly applied to an analysis of economic entities of a different order (country, region, sector, companies) while evaluating “viscosity” / complexity of the outside and the inside. Design/methodology/approach: The paper includes an analysis of various methodological approaches to assess a development level of the transport infrastructure in a region. Within the author's approach and for purposed of the research, an index of transaction capacity or the transactionalness index is proposed, which determines a level of transaction costs calculated against the cost of production and revenue. The approach is piloted using the region-wise consolidated financial data of companies involved in the Russian transport infrastructure for 2005/2013. Findings: The proposed alternative way to measure corporate operating efficiency has proved its academic consistency. A specific comparison between the transaction costs using the transactionalness index allows first to identify companies or regions/sectors, where there is excess complexity of economical communication in bargaining. Secondly, the index does not only point out indirectly to a degree of development in the institutional environment, but also the infrastructure (the transport one in the example given). Third, the transactionalness level may say of uncertainty and risks. As an addition to theoretical and methodological aspects of transaction costs, the authors justify an approach to their size estimation, as well as their differentiation dividing them into two groups: those of a natural type and a background type. In a course of their discussion, the authors have concluded that there are such transaction costs in place, which are standard in a manner of speaking. Originality/value: There is a discussion whether it is scientifically reasonable to use an index of transactionalness. There are reasons for applicability of the alternative approach to assess operational performance of companies in transport infrastructure as an indicative criterion of favouring external conditions to execute exchange transactions. According to the authors, a high level of transactionalness is associated with a low development level of transport infrastructure in a region. This says that their competitiveness is specifically less. |
| Keywords: | transactionalness, transport infrastructure, transaction costs, performance of transport infrastructure |
| JEL: | D23 L91 |
| Date: | 2016–03 |
| URL: | http://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:pra:mprapa:72001&r=tre |