How does the propensity of living near rail transit moderate the influence of rail transit on transit trip frequency in Xi'an?

Many cities have made massive investments on rail systems to substitute transit for driving. Some studies have considered the confounding effect of attitudes in the connections between rail transit and travel behavior. However, they often focused on the average effect of rail transit and assumed that individuals' responses to transit improvements do not vary by their tastes. Using the 2014 data from Xi'an in China, this study explores the interaction effect between metro transit (heavy rail) and the propensity (i.e., predicted probability) of living in neighborhoods with metro transit on transit use. The propensity is positively associated with commute by metro transit and bus. Further, individuals with a strong propensity use transit equivalently no matter whether they live near metro transit, but metro transit tends to promote transit commute for those with a weak propensity of living near metro transit. Overall, building a rail line helps enhance transit ridership. Planners should also consider the variation in responses by individuals with different tastes when using policies to shape urban travel.     

How can our cars become less polluting? An assessment of the environmental improvement potential of cars

This paper presents a systematic overview of the environmental impacts of new average diesel and petrol cars from a life cycle perspective. An analysis of different technical and non-technical improvement options that could be achieved at each stage of a car’s life cycle was performed. The consequences of the adoption of these options on the environment were estimated. The results show that some of the options analysed could have a major positive impact on the vehicle efficiency and induce large improvements of the environmental profile of passenger cars. The highest improvements are achievable through more efficient power trains (including hybrid car), and through lightweight cars. For some options, burden shifts from one car life cycle phase to another, or from one environmental problem to another, can occur. The results show that besides the purely technological options, those that imply behavioural changes by the driver may also reduce the environmental burden substantially.     

How do the services of low cost carriers affect passengers' behavioral intentions to revisit a destination?

Understanding the main factors that affect travelers' behavioral intentions are essential for countries that intend to develop their tourism industry. This research investigates how the services of low cost carriers (LCCs) affect travelers' behavioral intentions to revisit and a willingness to recommend the destination to others. The results show that the perceived services of LCCs have a significantly positive effect on the destination's image, and the destination's image has a significantly positive effect on behavioral intentions.     

A streetcar to be desired? The development of a new approach to measure perception of place quality in the context of tram network modernisation

Recent decades have seen a global resurgence in tram network development around the world. Despite a primary basis in transport, tram network development is increasingly framed as a spatial planning mechanism that is prioritised for its potential place-based outcomes. However, there has been limited academic research to investigate impacts of tram network development on community perception of place quality. This study contributes to the literature by presenting the results of 601 completed questionnaires investigating variation in perception of place quality between legacy and modernised tram streetscapes in Melbourne, Australia. Evidence demonstrates that modernised tram streetscapes were perceived to contain an enhanced physical design compared to their legacy counterparts. Additionally, modernised tram streetscapes were rated as higher quality locations overall that were more likely to facilitate a wide range of place-based activities and amenities. Overall findings provide evidence that tram modernisation can be framed as an opportunity for place quality enhancements, and appear to contradict some of the political complications that have played a role in stalling tram streetscape modernisation projects in Melbourne.     

The adjustment of international rail passenger services to new state boundaries – the Eastern Marchlands of Europe 1918–39

This paper considers the problems which confronted governments in restoring international railway services after the Peace Treaties of 1918–20 in the Eastern Marchlands of Europe, namely the states of Poland, Czechoslovakia, Hungary, Austria, Romania and Yugoslavia. The states which emerged from the old Austro-Hungarian Empire inherited railway networks which did not meet their needs, necessitating new construction for which funds were scarce. The railway infrastructure had been damaged by war and lack of maintenance again requiring substantial investment. The service patterns are compared by means of a city pairs analysis which examines minimum frequencies/journey times between five capital cities – Warsaw, Prague, Vienna, Budapest and Belgrade between 1925 and 1935. An examination of border delays is also undertaken for the same period. © 1999 Published by Elsevier Science Ltd. All rights reserved.     

Czechoslovak light rail — Legacy of socialist urbanism or opportunity for the future?

This article focuses on the development of the Czechoslovak ‘rychlá tramvaj’ (‘fast tram’) systems in Prague, Bratislava and Brno. Its aim is to examine whether these systems meet the requirements of light rail and whether it is possible to continue their development as a functional light rail city transport system. A further aim is a detailed analysis of the conditions and contexts affecting the gradual development of ‘rychlá tramvaj’ schemes in three selected metropolises in the former Czechoslovakia.Urban development in Czechoslovakia was affected by the socialist planning system that constructed large housing estates on the edges of metropolises during the 1970s and 1980s. As a result, many commuters had to be moved between them and city centres daily; therefore, the necessity for high-capacity ‘rychlá tramvaj’ connections became apparent. After socio-political changes in 1989, a market economy was introduced and the trends of commercial and residential suburbanization have modified the spatial structure of the cities, and mobility has begun to be increasingly dependent on cars. In response to this, city councils departed from further development of ‘rychlá tramvaj’ schemes. Currently, the emphasis on sustainable mobility is apparent, principally because of smart city solutions, an environmental focus and a common European transport policy; thus, municipalities are rediscovering the virtues of light rail lines again. Because the ‘rychlá tramvaj’ systems from the 1970s and 1980s are still in operation, transforming them into modern light rail systems appears to be a convenient and cheap solution.     

Changing times – A decade of empirical insight into the experience of rail passengers in Great Britain

In the last decade the number of rail passenger journeys in Great Britain has increased by half and car trips per person are down by a tenth. Meanwhile there has been significant growth in internet use and ownership of smartphones. Travel patterns are changing in tandem with adoption of digital age innovations. At a time when Britain is also poised to invest tens of billions of pounds in high speed rail, this paper examines how the experience of rail passengers has changed from 2004 to 2014. It draws upon questions concerning travel time use designed by its first two authors that have been included in the National Rail Passenger Survey waves conducted in Autumn 2004, 2010 and 2014, yielding over 80,000 survey responses in total.The data reveal an ongoing decline of paper-based materials accompanying travellers in the face of increasing adoption of digital alternatives. The latter can, for many, make their journey time experience better. However, the significant increase from 2004 to 2010 in the proportion of passengers considering their time use to have been very worthwhile has not continued on to 2014. This appears to be attributable (in part) to increased crowding and reduced passenger satisfaction associated with rising demand for rail travel. The paper sets out empirical insights, drawing them together in the form of a diagrammatic depiction of the interplay of factors involved in rail passenger experience. This depiction is then used to consider the implications for the future of rail travel. While mobile technologies appear to be placing more control of passenger experience in the hands of the passengers themselves, there remain important imperatives for the rail industry to support positive use of travel time.     

Does quality pay? The case of the dry bulk market

Following important changes in the safety regulation of tankers, the dry bulk sector is coming under the spotlight in a safety and quality perspective. Nominal freight differentiation between ‘quality’ and ‘other’ tonnage has been observed occasionally and much lip service has been paid to promoting the need for younger and safer ships. Whether or not these signals actually manifest in a market initiative for the enhancement of the standards of the world bulk carrier fleet is debatable. This paper investigates the possible existence of a two-tier spot freight market for medium and large bulk carriers of differing age. Known voyage fixtures are investigated for four representative years since the end of the 1980s, during which contrasting freight market conditions prevailed. In all but very few cases, there was no statistically significant difference between rates paid to older and younger tonnage. In those few cases where such differences were statistically significant, they never exceeded 10%.     

How could the station-based bike sharing system and the free-floating bike sharing system be coordinated?

The station-based bike sharing system (SBBSS) and the free-floating bike sharing system (FFBSS) have been adopted on a large scale in China. However, the overlap between the services provided by these two systems often makes bike sharing inefficient. By comparing the factors that affect the usage of the two systems, this paper aims to propose appropriate strategies to promote their coordinated development. Using data collected in Nanjing, a predictive model is built to determine which system is more suitable at a given location. The influences of infrastructure, demand distribution, and land use attributes at the station level are examined via the support vector machine (SVM) approach. Our results show that the SBBSS tends to be favored in areas where there is a high concentration of travel demand, and close proximity to metro stations and commercial properties, whereas locations with a higher density of major roads and residential properties are associated with more frequent use of the FFBSS. With regard to the methods used, a comparison of several machine learning approaches shows that the SVM has the best predictive performance. Our findings could be used to help policy makers and transportation planners to optimize the deployment and redistribution of docked and dockless bikes.     

Criteria for services of air cargo logistics providers: How do they relate to client satisfaction?

This study investigates the factors that influence client satisfaction with logistics outsourcing, taking into account the client's subjective attitude towards service criteria for air cargo logistics providers. We define the construct of service criteria of air cargo logistics providers, provide an empirical validation of the construct, develop scales for service criteria and client satisfaction with desirable psychometric properties, and explore theoretical and practical applications. Empirical evidences support five key service criteria factors of importance; delivery value, knowledge innovation value, service value-added, information value, and performance satisfaction value. Four key client satisfaction factors are reliability, agility, customization, and flexibility. A significant relationship between the service criteria of air cargo logistics providers and client satisfaction is also identified.     

How large are tax subsidies to motor-vehicle users in the US?

There has been considerable discussion about the extent to which motor-vehicle use in the US is “subsidized,” making petroleum-based motor vehicle use more attractive than other transportation modes. Estimates of these subsidies vary widely, and in many cases can be criticized on methodological grounds. In this paper we estimate corporate-income-tax, sales-tax, property-tax, and personal-income-tax subsidies related to motor-vehicle use. Whereas previous estimates of sales-tax and corporate-income-tax subsidies have been built piecemeal, tax provision by tax provision, we offer an alternative method, based on the difference between actual tax payments of the motor vehicle industry compared to other industries. We estimate that the total “tax subsidy” to motor-vehicle users in the US may be in the range of $19–64 billion (10⁹) per year, or $0.11–0.37 per gallon ($0.03–0.10 per liter) of motor fuel. However, the amount of the subsidy, and hence the magnitude of its effect, depends greatly on the tax baseline with respect to which the subsidy is estimated. (The property-tax subsidy is particularly uncertain.) We emphasize that without doing a full equilibrium analysis, we cannot say how eliminating these subsidies would affect social welfare.     

How adult children in the UK and the US view the driving cessation of their parents: Is a policy window opening?

Both the UK and the US have rapidly ageing and increasingly diverse populations very dependent on driving. A comparative study commissioned by the UK Department for Transport found that in both the UK and the US adult children of older drivers, whilst often concerned about their parents’ continued driving, were also worried about the burden they would carry when their parents stopped driving, although there were differences by race and ethnicity. This study suggests that a policy window may be opening through which babyboomers can advocate for a range of driver training, roadway and vehicle improvements, expansion and enhancement of traditional public transportation and community transport options, improvements in accessibility and pedestrian infrastructure, and supportive land use and housing policies that would allow older people to drive safely longer, and, find meaningful mobility options when they can no longer drive. Policy responses must recognise and respond appropriately to differences by race and ethnicity.     

Attributes driving the selection of trucking services and the quantification of the shipper’s willingness to pay

This paper investigates the selection of trucking services by shippers that require the movement of truck shipments. A set of pragmatic attributes are postulated to describe trucking services. They are used in a stated choice experiment that collects data and preferences from shippers. A mixed logit model is estimated in order to test the attributes and quantifying the shipper willingness to pay for them. The results are used to provide meaningful negotiation guidance for truck-related shippers and carriers, a significant contribution to literature in transportation, logistics, and supply chain management. A numerical example illustrates the use of the model.     

How large is the gap between present and efficient transport prices in Europe?

In this paper, we analyse the gap between present transport prices and efficient transport prices. Efficient transport prices are those prices that maximise economic welfare, including external costs (congestion, air pollution, accidents). The methodology is applied to six urban and interregional case studies using one common optimal pricing model. The case studies cover passenger as well as freight transport and cover all modes. We find that prices need to be raised most for peak urban passenger car transport and to a lesser extent for interregional road transport. Optimal pricing results for public transport are more mixed. We show that current external costs on congested roads are a bad guide for optimal taxes and tolls: the optimal toll that takes into account the reaction of demand is often less than one third of the present marginal external cost.     

How can GPS/GNSS tracking data be used to improve our understanding of informal transport? A discussion based on a feasibility study from Dar es Salaam

Informal transport is an important factor for people's daily mobility in most developing countries, in urban as well as in rural areas. It has grown rapidly in recent years and influences cities' appearances all around the world. But little is known about its operation, as informal transport is highly dynamic and its operation mostly unregulated by the state. This paper discusses how informal transport can be better understood by using GPS tracking data. The methodology is exemplified using results from a feasibility study from Dar es Salaam. The results show that GPS tracking has great potential to provide insights into the functionality of informal transport, such as its role as a feeder mode in the transport system, as well as into the comparative advantages and disadvantages of different modes of transport. Moreover, by delivering spatially locatable information on mobility developments, it can deliver important information for integrated planning with regard to better coordinating the interwoven developments of urban settlements, growing mobility demand, and transport supply.     

How does the inclination to bicycle sway the decision to ride in warm and winter seasons?

Many cities are creating policies and programs aimed at expanding bicycling mode shares. Attitudes towards bicycling in combination with weather conditions, however, can strongly influence the decision to ride. In locations with wide annual seasonal variation, attitudes can radically alter demand on bicycle networks across the year. Though researchers have looked at weather impacts on bicycling, the link between attitudinal factors that might impact riding decisions and seasonal variation remains understudied. This paper investigates heterogeneous taste preferences about the inclination to bicycle for riders who ride only in the warm weather and those who ride all year long (including during severe winters). This research relies on survey data from Edmonton, Canada and presents results from a hybrid discrete choice model. After controlling for age, sex, education, income, the supply of bike lanes, and the latent variable “bicycling inclination,” the results indicate that attitudes have a significantly positive impact on the decision to ride across seasons. The findings suggest that public education and season-specific training programs—particularly aimed at adults and women—have the potential to increase bicycling all year around.     

How does demand uncertainty affect food and beverage capacity in the hotel industry?

This study investigates the effect of demand uncertainty on hotels’ food and beverage (F&B) capacity using the operation data of international tourist hotels in Taiwan. The empirical results of this study show that demand uncertainty leads to an increase in F&B capacity. Moreover, the magnitude of this effect increasingly strengthens for hotels with larger F&B scales. Our results together with other studies on room capacity collectively indicate that hotels’ overcapacity problem resulting from demand uncertainty considerably varies with hotel scales and between different hotel sectors.     

‘Be global,go local’ – innovation and creativity in the development of alternative guiding services in Budapest

Based on qualitative research methods, the paper explores the emergence of creativity and innovation in the development of guiding services, and analyses the cultural and spatial characteristics of alternative guided tours developed for niche markets in Budapest, Hungary. The study is part of a 3-year (2011–2014) research programme entitled ‘Creativity and its contribution to niche tourism development – following and creating trends’ that aimed to investigate the potential of niche tourism products in the Hungarian market. In order to understand the development process, characteristics and significance of alternative guiding in the city, a complex methodology of interviews, participant observation and content analysis of service providers’ websites and customers’ feedback on social media sites was used. The analysis suggests that although the impact of these alternative guided tours on the city’s tourist image is currently limited, they contribute to the repositioning of the destination and enrich its ambiance.