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on Transport Economics |
| By: | Sanguinetti, Angela; Favetti, Matthew; Hirschfelt, Kate; Kong, Nathaniel; Chakraborty, Debapriya; Alston-Stepnitz, Eli; Ma, Howard |
| Abstract: | This research developed EV Explorer 2.0, an online vehicle cost calculator (VCC) to meet the requirements of transportation network company (TNC) drivers considering acquiring an electric vehicle (EV). The tool was built to also support the needs of other users considering an EV, including other types of gig economy drivers as well as the general population of non-professional drivers. EV Explorer 2.0 includes several important features and functionalities to support the TNC driver use case that are not found in any other available tool: (1) It allows users to estimate TCO for used vehicles as well as new (others only estimate TCO for new vehicles); (2) Outputs include ridehail-driving income estimates, accounting for EV trip bonuses offered by Uber, net driving costs; (3) Estimates of total cost of driving (TCD) include charging network membership fees and charging session fees (in addition to electricity prices). It also includes key features found in other leading tools, such as presenting and tailoring EV purchase/lease incentive estimates (based on a database we developed), and innovative features to benefit all users, such asanimations conveying the social and environmental impacts of vehicle choice. Design features were informed and validated inuser testing with TNC drivers who had expressed interest in EV adoption. View the NCST Project Webpage |
| Keywords: | Social and Behavioral Sciences, Vehicle cost calculator, electric vehicle adoption, transportation network company, ride-hailing, rideshare |
| Date: | 2023–06–01 |
| URL: | http://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:cdl:itsdav:qt1v44b5kp&r=tre |
| By: | Shahabi, Cyrus; Kim, Seon Ho |
| Abstract: | This project is to investigate how accessibility of city blocks is quantified through the transport systems and real traffic flow datafrom the Los Angeles Metropolitan Area. The authors investigate the reachability problem and provide a solution with a functional system that is capable of visualizing the reachability map (isochrone). Unlike other studies, this approach is data-driven and does not depend on mathematical graph-theory to compute the isochrone which requires intensive computation. Instead, it focuses on directly processing the large amount of traffic flow data that the Integrated Media Systems Center at USC has collected from the Regional Integration of Intelligent Transportation Systems (RIITS) for more than 10 years under the Center’s existing Archived Traffic Data Management System (ADMS) project. The reachability map construction is based on vehicle trajectories so the researchers devised the Data-Driven Trajectory Generator (DDTG), a data-driven, model-free, and parameter-less algorithm for generating realistic vehicle trajectory datasets from ADMS data. Since real world traffic is incomplete with lots of temporal and spatial missing data, the researchers studied imputation and interpolation methods to complete the dataset. Their experiments with real-world trajectory and traffic data show that the datasets generated by DDTG follow distributions that are very close to the distributions of a real trajectory dataset. Furthermore, to demonstrate the resultsfrom the proposed research, a web application was developed in which users can select a location, travel time, and the time of year to see the evaluated accessibility info in the form of an isochrone map. The outcomes of this project—synthetic vehicle trajectory dataset and reachability map construction—will be helpful in evaluating accessibility of city blocks for transport systems over a large area, essential for policymakers for effective city planning as well as to improve the well-being of citizens. View the NCST Project Webpage |
| Keywords: | Engineering, Social and Behavioral Sciences, Traffic index, synthetic trajectory, reachability |
| Date: | 2023–07–01 |
| URL: | http://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:cdl:itsdav:qt7pm429tk&r=tre |
| By: | Chakraborty, Debapriya; Jenn, Alan |
| Abstract: | Even though plug-in electric vehicles can reduce the problem of greenhouse gas emissions from the transportation sector, externalities like congestion and road damage will exist. Therefore, state transportation agencies will need pricing mechanisms like a per-mile road user charge (RUC) to deal with these externalities while accounting for the transition to an EV-dominated fleet. Focusing on electronic toll collection (ETC) methods, this project aimed to conduct a thorough review of lessons learned from established tolling systems across U.S. states and the tolling system in Singapore and London. Post literature review and expert interviews, a multi-criteria performance framework of different tolling mechanisms was formulated based on criteria such as accuracy of data collection, complexity for regulators and users, compatibility across policy objectives (primarily RUC), and equity. |
| Keywords: | Business, Law, Social and Behavioral Sciences, Tolling, Road User Charge, Expert Interview, Multi-criteria Analysis |
| Date: | 2023–06–01 |
| URL: | http://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:cdl:itsdav:qt5x5974vk&r=tre |
| By: | Poorthuis, Ate; Zook, Matthew |
| Abstract: | The 15-minute city – providing every resident’s daily needs within a 15-minute walk, cycle or public transportation ride – has recently gained popularity among policy makers as a means for a more sustainable and just future. While the goal of a more equitable and sustainable city is laudable, we note that half of the world’s population (still) lives in non-urban areas and thus seek to explore how the concept of the 15-minute city might extend into suburbs, exurbs and even the countryside. We do this via an empirical analysis of 16 years of travel survey data in the Netherlands and evaluate the relevance of the 15-minute city concept in non-urban areas. We frame our analysis via three specific aspects of the 15-minute concept: (i) differences in reliance on cars in urban and non-urban areas; (ii) differences in extra travel time across the urban-rural continuum if all car-based trips were replaced by public transport; and (iii) the effect of accessibility of goods and services on extra travel time if all car-based trips were replaced by public transport. Based on our findings, we argue that practical implementations of the 15-minute city (focused on the urban core) risk missing the particular challenges facing non-urban neighborhoods, especially in terms of car reliance. As planners rush to address the affordable housing crisis in the Netherlands and elsewhere, these short-comings highlight the importance of expanding research and policy practice in terms of scope (i.e. including non-urban areas) and focus (i.e. considering other reasons for individual travel beyond goods and services) to better reflect the lived experience of people across all geographies. |
| Date: | 2023–06–15 |
| URL: | http://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:osf:osfxxx:4adfq&r=tre |
| By: | Peter Christensen; Adam Osman |
| Abstract: | Optimal transportation policies depend on demand elasticities that interact across modes and vary across the population, but understanding how and why these elasticities vary has been an empirical challenge. Using an experiment with Uber in Egypt, we randomly assign large price discounts for transport services over a 3 month period to examine: (1) the demand for ride-hailing services, (2) the demand for total mobility (km/week), and (3) its contributions to external costs (e.g. congestion). A 50% discount more than quadruples Uber usage and induces an increase of nearly 49% in total mobility. These effects are stronger for women, who are less mobile at baseline and perceive public transit as unsafe. Technology-induced reductions in the price of ride-hailing services could generate substantial benefits to users (4.3% of GDP) that would be accompanied by considerable increases in external costs (1% of GDP), with benefits accruing to the most affluent and costs being borne by the entire population. |
| JEL: | Q5 R4 |
| Date: | 2023–06 |
| URL: | http://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:nbr:nberwo:31330&r=tre |
| By: | Boarnet, Marlon G; Lee, Seula; Gross, James; Thigpen, Calvin |
| Abstract: | In the early stages of the COVID-19 pandemic, cities across the globe converted street space to non-automobile uses. This project studies four of these slow street programs in the U.S.: in Los Angeles, Portland, Oakland, and San Francisco. In each city, the slow streets (implemented in late spring to early fall 2020) are used as a treatment and compared to non-implemented control groups. The dependent variable is counts of dockless scooter trips passing a mid-block screenline for time periods both before and after slow street implementation. Those dockless scooter counts were obtained from historical data provided by Lime, a dockless scooter provider in each of the study cities. Two methodological approaches were used: differences-in differences (DID) and panel regression analysis with block fixed effects. For the DID analysis, the researchers used networks of candidate slow streets that were not implemented as the control group. Such control networks were available in Los Angeles, Oakland, and SanFrancisco. For the panel analysis, they used slow street segments implemented later in the study period as control segments for earlier implemented slow street segments, including fixed effects for blocks and for time periods in the panel regressions. The findings show statistically significant associations between increased dockless scooter trips and slow street implementation in each study city, using both DID and panel analyses. The associations are robust to different specifications. The authors calculate the magnitude of the slow street treatment effect by dividing the estimated treatment effect by a 2019 baseline of dockless trip counts. In the DID analysis, they find that slow street implementation increased dockless scooter trip counts from 22.16% to 74.5%, relative to a 2019 (before slow streets) baseline. In the panel analysis, the increase in dockless trip counts on slow streets ranged from 10.77% to 16.75%, relative to a 2019 baseline. View the NCST Project Webpage |
| Keywords: | Social and Behavioral Sciences, Dockless Travel, Slow Streets, COVID-19, Micromobility, Bike Infrastructure, Active Transport |
| Date: | 2023–06–01 |
| URL: | http://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:cdl:itsdav:qt244529qz&r=tre |
| By: | Gore, Christina C.; Carrel, Andre; Irwin, Elena G. |
| Keywords: | Environmental Economics and Policy, Resource/Energy Economics and Policy, Institutional and Behavioral Economics |
| Date: | 2023 |
| URL: | http://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:ags:aaea22:335437&r=tre |
| By: | Chakraborty, Debapriya; Jenn, Alan; Ji, Jean; Chan, Marcus T. |
| Abstract: | In 2021, the federal gasoline tax raised about $32.8 billion which accounted for about 70% of the Federal Highway Trust Fund’s expenditures, with a shortfall of $14 billion (FHWA, 2021). In response, many states have launched pilot or full-scale programs of road-usage charge (RUC) as an alternative transportation funding source. One of the fundamental challenges of RUC is the high cost of implementation compared to a traditional motor fuel tax (Caltrans, 2017). To address this, states look to leverage existing vehicle-level pricing programs, such as road tolling to learn possible synergies between RUC and tolling. In this paper, the authors conducted semi-structured interviews with experts from tolling programs across the U.S. to identify areas of overlap between tolling and RUC. Consequently, they built upon the interview findings with a multi-criteria decision analysis (MCDA) to evaluate how ready the RUC pilot programs are for implementation. The results demonstrated that there are numerous lessons that the RUC pilots can learn from the tolling industry and develop an integrated system—tolling hub operations, methods to maintain data privacy, technology, etc. RUC programs can benefit from integration with tolling from the increased scale of operations which would largely reduce administrative costs. Lastly, ensuring equity in RUC rate design to alleviate any potential financial burdens on low-income populations and ensuring that unbanked and underbanked populations have access to the system is important. |
| Keywords: | Business, Law, Social and Behavioral Sciences, Tolling, Road User Charge, Expert Interview, Multi-criteria Analysis |
| Date: | 2023–06–01 |
| URL: | http://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:cdl:itsdav:qt6xf42194&r=tre |
| By: | Oya Celasun; Galen Sher; Petia Topalova; Jing Zhou |
| Abstract: | Reducing transport sector emissions is an important pillar of the green transition. However, the transition to electric vehicles (EV) portends major changes in vehicle manufacturing activity, on which many livelihoods in Europe depend. Using the heterogeneity across European countries in the speed of transition to EV production and variation in sectoral and regional exposure to the automotive sector, this paper offers early evidence of the labor market implications of the EV transition. Our results suggest that the transformation of the auto sector is already having an adverse impact on employment in the affected sectors and regions, which can be expected to grow at least in the near term. Many of the affected workers will be able to retire and our analysis suggests that those who will have to transition to new “greener” jobs have a fair chance to do so when compared to other workers in the manufacturing sector. Furthermore, we find evidence that active labor market policies, specifically training, can help to reduce the adjustment costs for the affected workers. |
| Keywords: | Electric vehicle; employment; green transition; labor market policy |
| Date: | 2023–06–02 |
| URL: | http://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:imf:imfwpa:2023/116&r=tre |
| By: | (ENAC & Toulouse School of Economics, University of Toulouse Capitole, Toulouse, France.); Cristina Gualdani (Queen Mary University of London, London, United Kingdom); Kevin Remmy (University of Mannheim, Mannheim, Germany.) |
| Abstract: | We develop a two-stage game in which competing airlines first choose the networks of markets to serve in the first stage before competing in price in the second stage. Spillovers in entry decisions across markets are allowed, which accrue on the demand, marginal cost, and fixed cost sides. We show that the second-stage parameters are point identified, and we design a tractable procedure to set identify the first-stage parameters and to conduct inference. Further, we estimate the model using data from the domestic US airline market and find significant spillovers in entry. In a counterfactual exercise, we evaluate the 2013 merger between Amer-ican Airlines and US Airways. Our results highlight that spillovers in entry and post-merger network readjustments play an important role in shaping post-merger outcomes. |
| Keywords: | endogenous market structure, multiple equilibria, oligopoly, product reposition-ing, mergers, remedies, bankruptcy. |
| Date: | 2023–06–21 |
| URL: | http://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:qmw:qmwecw:950&r=tre |
| By: | Chatzinikolaou, Dimos (Democritus University of Thrace, Department of Economics); Vlados, Charis (Democritus University of Thrace, Department of Economics) |
| Abstract: | The transport industry is one of the fundamental development pillars of all socioeconomic systems nowadays. This article aims to examine whether the current pandemic crisis of COVID-19—which significantly repositions all socioeconomic dimensions—accelerates developments, especially in the transport sector. This introduction investigates critical perspectives from the history of transport, ending up with the trends that (seemingly) existed before the current crisis. The primary finding corresponds to the acceleration caused by COVID-19, especially in trends related to increased digitalization and the need for investment in new infrastructure across the world. Also, the de-carbonization and the rise of the “prosumer” (the individual who consumes and produces value simultaneously) are accelerating forces in the transport industry. |
| Keywords: | transport sector; COVID-19 crisis; history of transport; investment infrastructure; digitalization; de-carbonization; prosumer |
| JEL: | F60 L91 N70 |
| Date: | 2021–10–12 |
| URL: | http://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:ris:duthrp:2021_021&r=tre |
| By: | Brueckner, Jan K. (University of California, Irvine); Kahn, Matthew E. (University of Southern California); Nickelsburg, Jerry (UCLA) |
| Abstract: | Airline fuel consumption is costly for the firms and for society as well due to a climate-change externality. We study how fuel price changes affect cost-minimizing choices by airlines that have implications for the extent of this externality. The airline industry's capital stock can be easily inventoried as a set of long-lived, durable aircraft. This portfolio approach allows us to study the utilization and composition of the capital stock at a highly disaggregated level. Changes in airline operations directed toward conserving fuel can be an important path toward lower emissions. |
| Keywords: | airline fuel consumption, energy conservation, carbon dioxide emissions |
| JEL: | R4 Q54 |
| Date: | 2023–05 |
| URL: | http://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:iza:izadps:dp16189&r=tre |