Transport Economics http://lists.repec.org/mailman/listinfo/nep-tre Transport Economics 2026-02-16 Do Electric Vehicle Users Travel Differently? Findings From Register and Real-World Travel Data https://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:hhs:vtiwps:2026_002&r=&r=tre We examine whether electric vehicle (EV) users travel differently from internal combustion engine vehicle (ICEV) users, and whether any observed differences arise from trip frequency, trip length, or user characteristics. We use two unique and complementary contemporary data sources: national register data on annual vehicle kilometers traveled (VKT) at the car level and multi-month GPS travel diaries capturing daily mobility patterns for battery electric vehicles (BEV), plug-in hybrid electric vehicles (PHEV), and ICEV users. Register-based results show that privately owned BEVs and PHEVs are driven substantially longer annual distances than ICEVs, even after conditioning on registered user sociodemographic characteristics and car attributes. GPS data reveal more modest differences: BEV users drive longer daily distances but do not make more trips. The BEV–ICEV gap diminishes when car class and individual characteristics are controlled for, and PHEV users do not differ systematically from ICEV users. Overall, the higher VKT among EVs and EV users— particularly for BEVs—either reflects selection, whereby high-mileage drivers are more likely to adopt EVs, or behavioral responses, whereby EV ownership lowers the perceived cost of car travel and encourages substitution toward more distant destinations. Lång, Elisabeth Adell, Emeli Winslott Hiselius, Lena battery electric vehicles; plug-in hybrid vehicles; vehicle kilometers traveled; vehicle trip frequency; travel behavior; GPS travel diaries 2026-02-04 An Operations Research Framework for Sustainable Urban Mobility in Bengaluru: A Phased Strategy for Congestion Mitigation and System Optimization https://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:osf:socarx:sqmfa_v1&r=&r=tre Executive Summary This framework addresses the critical structural failure of Bengaluru’s urban transport system, which currently imposes an estimated economic loss of USD 5.92 billion annually. Moving beyond traditional supply-side infrastructure, this paper proposes a phased Operations Research (OR) strategy designed to maximize human throughput (Passenger-Kilometers per Hour) while minimizing total societal costs. Key Findings: • Systemic Friction: Private vehicles in major corridors average only 11 kmph, while BMTC buses operate at a significantly slower 8 kmph, actively discouraging modal shifts. • Supply-Demand Mismatch: While the city population grew by 32% between 2011 and 2019, the bus fleet increased by only 7.89%, leading to a dramatic drop in public transit ridership. • Infrastructure Deficit: Only 7.3% of the city area is allocated to transportation, far below the global norm of 20%. The Three-Phased Roadmap: 1. Phase I: Tactical Optimization (0–2 Years): Immediate deployment of Deep Reinforcement Learning (DRL)for adaptive traffic signal control at 136 high-volume intersections. 2. Phase II: Strategic Capacity (2–5 Years): Accelerated completion of the Metro/Suburban rail network and the introduction of Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) corridors. 3. Phase III: Structural Redesign (5+ Years): Long-term implementation of Transit-Oriented Development (TOD) and Electronic Road Pricing (ERP). Keywords: Urban Mobility, Bengaluru, Operations Research, Traffic Congestion, Deep Reinforcement Learning, Public Transit Optimization, Sustainable Transport. Prabu, Arvind 2026-01-25 Driving Innovation: The Policy Tools Powering Electric Vehicle Technological Inventions https://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:nbr:nberwo:34763&r=&r=tre Electric vehicles (EVs) are crucial for cutting transportation emissions, yet the policy drivers of EV innovation remain underexplored. This study analyzes firm-level panel data on EV and battery patents, covering more than 4, 000 firms across 19 countries from 2010 to 2021, to assess how these policy tools and their interactions in different time horizons influence innovative activity. We test the effects of individual policy instruments that either raise demand for EVs or support the development of EV technologies. Stringent fuel-economy standards, financial incentives, adoption targets, and public R&D investments each significantly increase patenting in EV and battery technologies. Moreover, long-term EV targets amplify the innovative impact of public R&D and standards while diminishing the marginal effect of short-term price signals. The results suggest that governments can accelerate clean automotive innovation by combining long-term adoption commitments with sustained R&D investment or strong performance standards, and by managing these instruments as a coordinated policy portfolio rather than as separate tools. The study contributes cross-country, firm-level evidence that links policy design to the direction of clean technology innovation. Jingni Zhang David Popp 2026-01 Clean Rides, Healthy Lives: The Impact of Electric Vehicle Adoption on Air Quality and Infant Health https://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:cwl:cwldpp:2486&r=&r=tre This paper provides the first nationwide U.S. evidence on the effects of electric vehicle (EV) adoption on air quality and child health. Using county-level data from 2010-2021, we link EV registrations to air pollution, birth outcomes, and emergency department visits. Endogenous adoption is addressed using two-way fixed effects and an instrumental variables strategy exploiting the rollout of federally designated Alternative Fuel Corridors. Greater EV adoption significantly lowers nitrogen dioxide and improves infant and child health, reducing very low birth weight, prematurity, and asthma-related emergency visits. The largest health gains occur in high-pollution areas and exceed $1.2-$4.0 billion annually. Cavit Baran Janet Currie Bahadõr Dursun Erdal Tekin 2026-01-01 Post(-Mongol) Roads to Path Dependence https://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:cer:papers:wp807&r=&r=tre Why do cities emerge where they do? This paper exploits a rule-based transport network in Imperial Russia to study the origins of urban centers. The yams postal system, introduced by the Mongols in the thirteenth century and maintained by Muscovy, required relay stations in regular intervals to change horses, creating an infrastructure grid whose spacing reflected logistics rather than geography or pre-existing settlements. We digitize all stations listed in the 1777 Russian Road Guide along a sample of 15 major routes, and divide rays between consecutive stops into 0.5 km cells. In modern satellite data, cells located at the historical interval where horses were changed are about thirty percent brighter today than neighboring cells before or after that range. The effect is robust to first- and second-nature controls, ray fixed effects, and controlling of pre-1800 settlements, and is absent for the later Trans-Siberian Railway. Additional analyses show that subsequent city growth correlates little with geographic endowments, but was amplified by later infrastructure investments, suggesting that administrative accidents – not natural advantages – seeded some of Russia’s urban geography. The findings illustrate how spatial inequality can arise from arbitrary historical coordination points, with lasting consequences for the distribution of economic activity. Sebastian Ottinger Elizaveta Zelnitskaia City Location, Path Dependence, Transport Infrastructure, Natural Advantage 2025-12 “I used to cycle all the time” – Cycling Practices Across the Life-Course Among Individuals in Low-Income Occupations in Sweden https://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:hhs:vtiwps:2026_001&r=&r=tre Cycling can broaden individuals’ mobility options and reduce the economic burdens associated with more expensive modes of transport. Active mobility offers clear health benefits, but access to and engagement in such activities are not equally distributed across socio-economic groups. This study contributes to the ongoing debate on how socio-economic factors shape active mobility by examining cycling through a social lens. Drawing on in-depth interviews with cyclists and non-cyclists, the study analyses the mobility biographies of Swedish individuals in low-income occupations. The findings explain why individuals in low-income occupations cycle less than more affluent groups. While research participants often view cycling positively, actual engagement is influenced by life circumstances and how individuals interpret these changing conditions. Key barriers include rigid work schedules (particularly early or late shifts), safety concerns in low-income neighbourhoods, and physical exhaustion from demanding jobs. Experiences of bicycle theft and vandalism also play a role in shaping cycling practices. These issues are seldom highlighted in research or policy discussions on how to support cycling. The study contributes to mobility research by showing that cycling practices are shaped not only by access to infrastructure and individual preferences but also by broader social, economic, and cultural factors. It emphasizes the need to consider life-course dynamics and working conditions when promoting cycling among low-income populations. Henriksson, Malin Larsson, Johanna Lång, Elisabeth cycling; low-income occupations; mobility biographies; qualitative approach; active travel 2026-02-04 Evaluating the Impact of RTSMS ISO 39001 on Cognitive and Behavioural Change Among Institutional Road Users: Evidence from a Malaysian Safety Agency https://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:gtr:gatrjs:jber269&r=&r=tre " Objective - This study examines the impact of the Road Traffic Safety Management System (RTSMS) ISO 39001:2013 on changing the cognitive and behavioural patterns of road users within an institutional setting. Methodology - Using a case study of a national occupational safety agency in Malaysia, the research investigates whether the implementation of RTSMS significantly influences cognitive awareness and road-user behaviour. Data were collected from 57 respondents across 17 regional offices using an adapted Driver Behaviour Questionnaire (DBQ) and Driver Skill Inventory (DSI). Structural Equation Modelling (SEM) was applied to test three hypotheses. Findings - The analysis confirmed all hypotheses at a high level of significance (p Azizie Bin Hamid RTSMS, ISO 39001, road safety, cognitive behaviour, institutional safety, structural equation modelling, Malaysia 2026-03-31 Fostering energy transition and transport fluidity in European port cities https://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:drm:wpaper:2026-3&r=&r=tre Europe as a whole is often regarded as a frontrunner in the domain of port-city sustainability, thanks to a wide set of international, national, and local initiatives. This paper is a review of local initiatives that are either individual (single port city) or collective (partnerships among several port cities), in the domains of energy transition and transport fluidity. We find that individual initiatives concentrate in northern Europe, in the largest ports, and at a few southern ones like Valencia or Marseilles. Conversely, collective actions are more concentrated in the south, including mostly small and medium-sized port cities, through projects financed by the European Commission. Besides, we show that port-urban congestion and PM2.5 pollution concentrate in the demographically and logistically largest port cities, which also dominate container throughput rankings and have the highest number of initiatives. We discuss the imperatives of ensuring a better regional balance across the continent and its port-city hierarchy. César Ducruet Mariantonia Lo Prete congestion; energy transition; Europe; population exposure; port cities; transport fluidity 2026 Transportation Equity and Natural Hazard Resilience: A Scoping Review https://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:osf:socarx:mxwtr_v1&r=&r=tre As climate-related hazards intensify, transportation systems play a central role in shaping who is exposed to risk, who can respond, and who recovers mobility and access after disruption. This scoping review synthesizes 88 studies to assess how transportation and hazards research has engaged equity and justice frameworks, what outcomes are used to evaluate inequity, where findings converge or diverge across hazards and disaster phases, and what conceptual gaps constrain progress. We find that the literature is effective at documenting disparities in exposure, evacuation, adaptation, and recovery, largely through population-based comparisons and novel mobility datasets. However, equity is most often treated implicitly, with unequal outcomes reported absent explicit normative or theoretical grounding. As a result, differences are frequently described without clarifying when and why they constitute inequities, limiting comparability across contexts and policy relevance. Evidence is strongest for inequities in transportation-mediated exposure, particularly for extreme heat and access loss driven by network failure, indicating a maturing understanding of transportation systems as active producers of vulnerability. Findings on evacuation disparities are less consistent, reflecting methodological limitations and contextual variation, while recovery outcomes show greater convergence, with marginalized communities experiencing slower or incomplete mobility restoration. Across domains, mismatches persist between commonly used mobility metrics and lived disaster needs, and mechanisms producing inequity—such as disinvestment, governance capacity, caregiving constraints, disability access, labor precarity, and information asymmetries—are often underexamined. We argue that greater engagement with explicit justice frameworks is necessary to move beyond documenting disparity toward explaining inequity and guiding equity-oriented transportation decisions under growing risk and uncertainty. Grajdura, Sarah Palm, Matthew Yarbrough, Collin He, Qian Rowangould, Dana Chen, Chen Goddard, Tara Kim, Karl Wong, Stephen 2026-01-19 Global Sectoral Supply Shocks, Inflation, and Monetary Policy https://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:bfr:banfra:1026&r=&r=tre We identify two global supply shocks that generate tensions in supply chains: shocks to transportation services and shocks to the production of highly specific intermediate inputs. Using a structural vector autoregression identified with sign, narrative, and boundary restrictions, we exploit their distinct implications for transportation costs. Transportation shocks raise shipping costs, while input production shocks lower equilibrium transportation prices by reducing output and demand for complementary services. Complementing the analysis with a global demand shock, we construct structurally interpretable, monthly indices for supply-side tensions and demand-induced congestion along global supply chains from 1969 to 2024. Both global supply shocks generate recessionary and inflationary effects in U.S. data but differ markedly in persistence and magnitude. Input production shocks produce large and persistent effects and elicit partial monetary policy accommodation, whereas transportation shocks are transitory and largely looked through. Magali Marx Christoph Grosse Steffen Moaz Elsayed Supply Chains, Input Shortages, Transport Shocks, Structural Vector Autoregressions, Inflation, Monetary Policy, Demand-Induced Congestion. 2025