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on Transport Economics |
| By: | Natalia Fabra; Catarina Pintassilgo; Mateus Souza |
| Abstract: | Free-Floating Car-Sharing (FFCS) services allow users to rent electric vehicles by the minute without restrictions on pick-up or drop-off locations within the service area of the rental company. Beyond enlarging the choice set of mobility options, FFCS may reduce congestion and emissions in cities, depending on the service’s usage and substitution patterns. In this paper, we shed light on this by analyzing the universe of FFCS trips conducted through a leading company in Madrid during 2019. We correlate FFCS usage patterns with data on traffic conditions, demographics, and public transit availability across the city. We find complementarities between FFCS and public transport in middle-income areas with scarce public transport options. Moreover, we find that the use of FFCS peaks earlier than overall traffic and is broadly used during the summer months. This suggests that FFCS may have smoothed road traffic in Madrid, contributing to a reduction in overall congestion. |
| Keywords: | Car-sharing, shared mobility, road congestion, electric vehicles. |
| JEL: | R41 Q52 |
| Date: | 2024–03 |
| URL: | http://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:bon:boncrc:crctr224_2024_512&r=tre |
| By: | Nelson, Clare; Rowangould, Gregory |
| Abstract: | In the United States, mileage fees, or road user charges, are being explored as an alternative to motor fuel taxes, often called “gas taxes.” The search for alternatives is motivated by rising fuel efficiency standards and the increasing number of electric vehicles on the road. These factors have diminished the revenue-generating capacity of gas taxes. While mileage fees are a more stable and fuel-agnostic transportation funding source, they face criticism and low levels of public support due to concerns about costs, protection of drivers’ location and privacy, and perceptions that they would raise taxes on low-income and rural households. Researchers from the University of Vermont Transportation Research Center used data from over 360, 000 Vermont vehicles to assess the financial and equity impacts of replacing the Vermont state gas tax with a revenue-neutral mileage fee of 1.5 cents per mile. The researchers then surveyed 623 car drivers in northern New England and 2, 114 drivers around the US, before and after offering them an educational experience about mileage fees. The educational experience included videos and quiz-style questions. It covered reasons for a switch to mileage fees, fairness across income and community types, and a personalized cost comparison between the gas tax and mileage fee, based on each respondent’s vehicle and travel information. This brief summarizes the findings from that research and provides implications for the field. View the NCST Project Webpage |
| Keywords: | Social and Behavioral Sciences, Mileage fees, gas tax, transportation funding, information choice questionnaire, equity, education |
| Date: | 2024–03–01 |
| URL: | http://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:cdl:itsdav:qt88k6z1zq&r=tre |
| By: | Darling, Wesley; Cassidy, Michal J. PhD |
| Abstract: | We explore how rail transit’s first- and last-mile issue might be addressed by partnering with transportation network companies (TNCs) like Uber and Lyft. The goal is to lure high-income commuters to shift from cars to TNCs and rail. We also explore how rail and TNC partnerships can improve travel for low-income commuters who currently rely on low-frequency bus service. We parametrically test subsidizing TNC fares for feeder services in the San Francisco Bay Area in an idealized fashion. Inputs such as the residents’ value of time and vehicle ownership were taken from various local data sources. The communities that were selected for our study are served to different degrees by the BART rail system. We found that the optimal policy must be tailored to the characteristics of the community it serves. In dense, walkable communities with strong bus service near rail stations, TNC subsidies should be targeted to less-accessible neighborhoods and low-income commuters to not compete with bus transit and active modes like walking. For lower-density communities with limited dedicated bus feeder service, TNC subsidization can be applied more broadly, although disincentives, like increasing rail parking fees, must be considered carefully, because they can induce commuters to drive directly to work instead. We conclude with a discussion of how subsidies might be covered by reallocating existing resources in different ways. |
| Keywords: | Engineering, Ridesourcing, rail transit, first mile and last mile, user side subsidies, commuters, value of time, transportation equity |
| Date: | 2024–03–01 |
| URL: | http://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:cdl:itsrrp:qt9937d817&r=tre |
| By: | Darling, Wesley; Cassidy, Michael J. |
| Abstract: | Commuter rail is known to have a “first- and last-mile” problem (i.e., a lack of options for getting commuters to and from a rail station). The first- and last-mile dilemma creates inequalities in access. For example, high-income commuters drive to work (forgoing transit altogether), middle-income commuters drive to a rail station and pay to park, and low-income commuters rely on feeder buses or walking to reach a rail station. Transportation network companies (TNCs), like Uber and Lyft, are a viable option for connecting travelers to rail stations, especially for those who don’t own a car, however, their high fares make them attractive only to higher-income travelers. To close this equity gap, subsidies could be provided for TNC rides that connect travelers to commuter rail. To explore this concept further, we developed idealized (but physically realistic and rational) models to describe communities in the San Francisco Bay Area, and simulated the effects of various subsidization policies (i.e., providing subsidies for TNC rides to and from rail stations, increasing rail stations parking fees) using real-world data representative of Bay Area commuter populations. |
| Keywords: | Engineering |
| Date: | 2024–03–01 |
| URL: | http://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:cdl:itsrrp:qt1nf4n76r&r=tre |
| By: | Rodier, Caroline PhD; Tovar, Angelly J.; Fuller, Sam; D'Agostino, Mollie C.; Harold, Brian S. |
| Abstract: | A lack of reliable and affordable transportation exacerbates socioeconomic inequities for low-income individuals, especially people of color. Universal Basic Mobility (UBM) pilots or programs are a relatively new approach to addressing financial barriers to travel among the transport-disadvantaged. UBMs provide individuals with funds for various mobilityoptions, including transit and shared modes. This study reviews the UBM programs and pilots implemented in the United States. It also reviews international applications of Mobility as a Service (MaaS) platforms. These platforms may reduce the administrative cost of implementing UBMs and help users identify and compare available travel options. In addition, the review describes critical program design tradeoffs to consider when developing a UBM program or pilot. Finally, key UBM elements and lessons learned are summarized to assist other communities considering UBMs. |
| Keywords: | Social and Behavioral Sciences, Universal Basic Mobility, Mobility as a Service, transportation disadvantaged persons, transportation equity, pilot studies, user side subsidies |
| Date: | 2024–03–01 |
| URL: | http://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:cdl:itsdav:qt9q08w58z&r=tre |
| By: | Anne de Bortoli (LVMT - Laboratoire Ville, Mobilité, Transport - ENPC - École des Ponts ParisTech - Université Gustave Eiffel); Adélaïde Féraille (NAVIER UMR 8205 - Laboratoire Navier - ENPC - École des Ponts ParisTech - CNRS - Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique - Université Gustave Eiffel); Fabien Leurent (CIRED - Centre International de Recherche sur l'Environnement et le Développement - Cirad - Centre de Coopération Internationale en Recherche Agronomique pour le Développement - EHESS - École des hautes études en sciences sociales - AgroParisTech - ENPC - École des Ponts ParisTech - Université Paris-Saclay - CNRS - Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique) |
| Abstract: | Roads are major transportation infrastructure whose sustainability of maintenance practices has never been holistically assessed due to a lack of a proper method. This paper applies a newly developed assessment method (see article part I) on a 10-km-long section of French highway to fully compare the performance of various types of pavement resurfacing policies, for all the maintenance stakeholders, and considering pavement-vehicle interaction (PVI). After presenting the highway section and the parametrization of the model, four alternative resurfacing frequencies are compared to the French standard maintenance scenario over the pavement lifespan. Results show that increasing resurfacing frequency generates gains in terms of domestic production and employment, environmental damage (health, biodiversity, resources), user budgets, and local residents' health damage created by traffic noise. Conversely, it entails financial losses for the road operator and government (tax revenues and net present value), as well as time losses for users. On the contrary, the consequences of a decrease in this frequency are the opposite. Excess fuel consumption due to PVI governs the scale of the environmental and financial gains or losses of highway maintenance policies. Optima in terms of health returns on investment and user savings appear to be around a 50% increase in maintenance funding: for each additional euro spent by the operator, there is a user gain of 3.5 euros and a human health gain of 710 euros. Sensitivity analyses indicate that the marginal gains are highly sensitive to the thickness of the resurfacing technique for macroeconomic indicators, global Net Present Value, and operator savings, while the gains are proportional to the traffic and International Roughness Indicator deterioration speed for tax revenue, users' savings, time savings, noise, and environmental metrics. The other indicators are either slightly or not sensitive to these parameters. To conclude, the entire road maintenance system must be redesigned, from the tax system and funding schemes to the prioritization of road "green practices", to align all the stakeholders' interests towards a globally more sustainable road system. |
| Keywords: | road maintenance, sustainability, key performance indicators, pavement asset management, public investment policies, life cycle |
| Date: | 2022–06–15 |
| URL: | http://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:hal:journl:hal-04468075&r=tre |
| By: | Annabelle Mourougane; Emmanuelle Guidetti; Graham Pilgrim |
| Abstract: | Rising uncertainties and geo-political tensions, together with increasingly complex trade relations have increased the demand for monitoring global trade in a timely manner. Although it was primarily designed to ensure vessel safety, information from the Automatic Information System, which allows for the tracking of vessels across the globe, is particularly well suited for providing insights on port activity and maritime trade developments, which accounts for a large share of global trade. Data are available in quasi real time but need to be pre-processed and validated. This paper contributes to existing research in this field in two major ways. First, it proposes a new methodology to identify ports, at a higher level of granularity than in past research. Second, it builds indicators to monitor port congestion and trends in maritime trade flows and provides more granular information to better understand those flows. Those indicators will still need to be refined, by complementing the AIS database with additional data sources, but already provide a useful source of information to monitor trade, at the country and global levels. |
| Keywords: | big data, maritime trade, port activity, port congestion |
| JEL: | C55 F17 C81 |
| Date: | 2024–03–19 |
| URL: | http://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:oec:stdaaa:2024/02-en&r=tre |
| By: | Odran Bonnet (Insee); Etienne Fize (Institut des Politiques Publiques, Paris School of Economics); Tristan Loisel (Insee, Crest); Lionel Wilner (Insee, Crest) |
| Abstract: | This paper exploits the introduction of the German carbon tax in 2021 as well as excise tax rebates on fuel in both France and Germany, consecutive to the 2022 oil crisis, to infer how fuel tourism responds to changes in relative prices. Based on French high-frequency transaction-level data issued from individual banking accounts, we find substantial displacement between foreign and domestic consumption. When relative prices increase by 1%, the relative cross-border demand decreases by 7.7%. In border areas, the elasticity of tax revenue with respect to foreign prices is as high as 0.5. Moreover, there is no substantial difference in demand response to either carbon or excise tax. Such empirical evidence illustrates the importance of coordinating tax policy within EU. |
| Keywords: | Commodity taxation; Tax coordination; Carbon pricing; Fuel tourism; Transaction-level data. |
| JEL: | H20 H23 H77 R48 |
| Date: | 2024–03–08 |
| URL: | http://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:crs:wpaper:2024-06&r=tre |
| By: | Hackmann, Angelina; Lindner, Vincent; Pelizzon, Loriana; Riedel, Max |
| Abstract: | This paper addresses the need for transparent sustainability disclosure in the European Auto AssetBacked Securities (ABS) market, a crucial element in achieving the EU's climate goals. It proposes the use of existing vehicle identifiers, the Type Approval Number (TAN) and the Type-Variant-Version Code (TVV), to integrate loan-level data with sustainability-related vehicle information from ancillary sources. While acknowledging certain challenges, the combined use of TAN and TVV is the optimal solution to allow all stakeholders to comprehensively assess the environmental characteristics of securitised exposure pools in terms of data protection, matching accuracy, and cost-effectiveness. |
| Keywords: | Securitisation, Car Loans, Sustainable Finance, Regulation |
| Date: | 2024 |
| URL: | http://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:zbw:safewh:285378&r=tre |
| By: | Nelson, Clare; Rowangould, Gregory |
| Abstract: | As governing bodies continue to explore mileage fees as an alternative to the gas tax, the uncertainty surrounding public support remains a critical barrier to policy uptake. This study examines the extent to which public perceptions of mileage fees are guided by misinformation or lack of information using a national, internet-based survey. Hypothetical voting opportunities were used to gather respondent support for mileage fees, coupled with educational treatments that address mileage fee fairness, privacy, and costs. The findings indicate that respondents are largely misinformed or lack information about mileage fees and the gas tax. Pre-education, only 32% of respondents supported the policy, but post-education, 46% of respondents supported the policy. Through binomial, multinomial, and fixed effect modeling, we examined the factors associated with policy support, changes in policy support, and the educational treatments. Ultimately, our findings indicate that education can play a key role in increasing support for a mileage fee policy as an alternative to the gas tax. View the NCST Project Webpage |
| Keywords: | Social and Behavioral Sciences, Mileage fees, gas tax, transportation funding, information choice questionnaire, equity, education |
| Date: | 2024–03–01 |
| URL: | http://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:cdl:itsdav:qt4ft4h3xt&r=tre |
| By: | Liepold, Constanze (E.ON Energy Research Center, Future Energy Consumer Needs and Behavior (FCN)); Fabianek, Paul (E.ON Energy Research Center, Future Energy Consumer Needs and Behavior (FCN)); Madlener, Reinhard (E.ON Energy Research Center, Future Energy Consumer Needs and Behavior (FCN)) |
| Abstract: | The Greenhouse Gas (GHG) Mitigation Quota is a unique instrument in Europe that redistributes money from high emission to low emission fuel markets, while forcing fuel distributors to reduce the average emissions of their fuels. This paper presents the design of the German 2022 GHG Quota, places it in the context of environmental policy instruments, and examines its impact on the affected fuel markets in relation to other environmental policy instruments. We aim to identify the strengths and weaknesses of the GHG Quota Trading as an alternative to allowance trading and carbon taxes, deliver results that can be applied in industry and policy making, and provide a basis for further research. Field research was conducted in the form of expert interviews. Furthermore, intermediaries and brokers were contacted via email and asked for transaction data. In addition, a qualitative literature review was conducted and publications of responsible authorities as well as relevant legal texts, were used to gather information. We find that the GHG Quota Trading overlaps with the instruments emission standards and emission trading scheme and therefore falls under the category of tradable performance standards. However, it also contains aspects of a subsidy and interacts directly or indirectly with several different markets |
| Keywords: | GHG Quota; environmental policy instrument; poolers |
| JEL: | A11 B55 |
| Date: | 2023–08–01 |
| URL: | http://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:ris:fcnwpa:2023_009&r=tre |