Competitive tendering in an entry regulated market—an accident waiting to happen?

Introduction Competitive tendering was introduced in the contract segment of the Norwegian taxi industry in 2005; a market characterised by entry regulation. Using this reform as a natural experiment this research looks into how competitive tendering has resulted in different outcomes in different segments of the taxi market and which explanations are best at describing the results. Methods The main sources of data are the taximeter data and case studies, conducted as part of a study of the rural taxi industry in Norway. This data have been supplemented by interviews with key stakeholders and data on prices and volumes from various purchasers of transport services, such as health corporations and county governments. Results The empirical data shows a lot of variation. There are very different outcomes in the different cases studied. However, the research shows that competitive tendering has mostly worked according to intention in the most central regions. These are characterised by many potential suppliers and that the tendered contracts are relative small compared with the total size of the market. I rural areas the results differ, with poor results from tendering in the intermediate areas and mostly satisfactory results in the most rural areas. Conclusions Experience from the Norwegian taxi industry shows that competitive tendering is possible within entry-regulated markets. Still, there are issues that remain to be solved, in particular in rural areas. This is due to both interdependency between the purchaser and the service provider, and the size of the markets. For other sectors, the main lessons are that competitive tendering can work, even with regulated entry, but that it needs to be adapted to suit the characteristics of each market. This research shows that there is significant variation within a sector. A tool such as competitive tendering can be well suited in one area, but inappropriate in another. This research suggests that the outcome is related to both hard factors such as market size and number of entrants, but also to factors like interdependency and negotiation climate.publishedVersio

Implications of ridesourcing and self-driving vehicles on the need for regulation in unscheduled passenger transport

One of the major recent developments in passenger transport is the arrival of large scale ridesourcing services, such as Uber and Lyft. These actors have challenged the definitions of what private and commercial transport is, by utilizing fleets of private cars and app-technology. Ridesourcing services pose several challenges to the existing transport framework. They exist in-between commercial and private activities, are partly outside the control of governments, and partly in direct contradiction with the current regulations. This paper also looks at how ridesourcing and autonomous vehicles may reshape the market for unscheduled passenger transport. This paper combines the use of literature on regulation and the economic properties of the markets for unscheduled passenger transport with scenario analyses to look into how ridesourcing and automated vehicles affect the markets in unscheduled passenger transport. The main findings are that as underlying economic mechanisms that points towards situations that calls for regulation are similar regardless of how the services are offered, the need for regulation will remain. However, as the market properties of the market segments are different, and a shift in the relative importance of the different market segments are likely, the possible and suitable points of regulation will change.Institute of Transport and Logistics Studies. Faculty of Economics and Business. The University of Sydne

Competitive tendering in an entry regulated market—an accident waiting to happen?

Introduction Competitive tendering was introduced in the contract segment of the Norwegian taxi industry in 2005; a market characterised by entry regulation. Using this reform as a natural experiment this research looks into how competitive tendering has resulted in different outcomes in different segments of the taxi market and which explanations are best at describing the results. Methods The main sources of data are the taximeter data and case studies, conducted as part of a study of the rural taxi industry in Norway. This data have been supplemented by interviews with key stakeholders and data on prices and volumes from various purchasers of transport services, such as health corporations and county governments. Results The empirical data shows a lot of variation. There are very different outcomes in the different cases studied. However, the research shows that competitive tendering has mostly worked according to intention in the most central regions. These are characterised by many potential suppliers and that the tendered contracts are relative small compared with the total size of the market. I rural areas the results differ, with poor results from tendering in the intermediate areas and mostly satisfactory results in the most rural areas. Conclusions Experience from the Norwegian taxi industry shows that competitive tendering is possible within entry-regulated markets. Still, there are issues that remain to be solved, in particular in rural areas. This is due to both interdependency between the purchaser and the service provider, and the size of the markets. For other sectors, the main lessons are that competitive tendering can work, even with regulated entry, but that it needs to be adapted to suit the characteristics of each market. This research shows that there is significant variation within a sector. A tool such as competitive tendering can be well suited in one area, but inappropriate in another. This research suggests that the outcome is related to both hard factors such as market size and number of entrants, but also to factors like interdependency and negotiation climate. Document type: Articl

The geography of public transport competitiveness in thirteen medium sized cities

Thank you for publishing your article with SAGE Publishing and Environment and Planning B: Urban Analytics and City Science. Your article “The geography of public transport competitiveness in thirteen medium sized cities” is now published.Securing sufficient accessibility with public transport is essential for reducing private car commuting. While most studies of transport accessibility are based on travel times, other quality factors such as the perceived disadvantage of congestion and service frequency are also of importance for transport mode choice. In this study, we use generalized journey times to calculate accessibility and public transport competitiveness, allowing us to account for other characteristics of commute trips than just travel time. We use detailed trip data to calculate generalized journey times to typical employment areas in thirteen urban regions in Norway. The results show that public transport services compete better with the car in the largest cities. Specifically, public transport is competitive for access to central employment areas but less so for less central employment areas. In the smaller cities, the private car is the most competitive mode on most commute trips. With detailed travel data, the method developed in this study can be replicated in other contexts to provide a more holistic measure of accessibility than traditional methods.The geography of public transport competitiveness in thirteen medium sized citiesacceptedVersio

Heavy Metal Emissions through Particulate Matter from Aluminium Electrolysis

Heavy metal emissions from the aluminium industry are mainly carried from the plant through fugitive particulate matter (PM) originating from the aluminium electrolysis pot room. To evaluate the behaviour of metal-carrying PM, both airborne and settled PM from two different primary aluminium smelters have been characterized and analyzed for composition and particle size distribution, with special emphasis on heavy metals and carbon. In addition, optical particle sensors have been placed at different elevations in one of the plants to determine the concentrations of different particle sizes in fugitive PM. Metals such as Fe and Ni were primarily found as particles together with S and P on partly combusted carbon PM. Settled PM from both plants were generally coarser (mean = 32–39 μm) and had a higher Al:Na ratio compared with airborne PM, with a mean PM of 21–22 μm. The optical sensors measured PM100 concentrations at roof level in the plant 5–6 times higher than the PM10 concentration during fuming events such as anode shift operations.acceptedVersio

Looking back at 20 years of competitive tendering in the Norwegian bus industry – explaining cost increases and reduced competition

Our paper investigates the developments in the Norwegian bus industry following the ramp-up of competitive tendering since the early 2000s. We analyse a complete dataset of all 232 local bus contracts awarded through competitive tendering in Norway since 1995. We also utilize the Central Register of Establishments and Enterprises (CRE) for structural developments in the bus industry. We first present some overall tendencies, including developments in number of bids per tender, contract size and cost developments. The average cost per kilometre has increased substantially more than the general rate of inflation. At the same time, the average number of bidders per contract has fallen moderately but steadily. Second, we build regression models to identify key drivers of cost developments. Contract sizes, in terms of vehicle-kilometres are found on average to be on the low side and an increase would reduce unit prices. We find as expected a significant effect of the number of bidders on unit prices. This leads us to a further investigation of factors explaining the number of bids per tender. We find that larger contracts tend to attract more bids, as do repeated tenders in the same area.Institute of Transport and Logistics Studies. Faculty of Economics and Business. The University of Sydne

Use of a Distributed Micro-sensor System for Monitoring the Indoor Particulate Matter Concentration in the Atmosphere of Ferroalloy Production Plants

Airborne particulate matter (PM) is a concern for both occupational health and the environment, and, in the ferroalloy industry, the level of such particles in the air can be considerable. Small, low-cost sensors for measuring PM have generated interest in recent years, providing widespread monitoring of PM levels in the environment. However, such sensors have not yet been sufficiently tested under conditions relevant for the indoor environment of the metallurgical industry. This study aims to bridge this gap by benchmarking the commercial, low-cost Nova PM SDS011 particle sensor in two different ferroalloy plants. Benchmarking was performed against the Fidas 200S, which has been suitability-tested and certified according to the latest EU requirements (EN 15267, EN 16450). Twelve Nova sensors were tested over 3 months at a silicomanganese alloy (SiMn) plant, and 35 sensors were tested during 1 month at a silicon (Si) plant. The results showed that the low-cost Nova sensors exhibited all the same trends and peaks in terms of PM concentration, but measured lower dust concentrations than the Fidas 200S. The difference was larger at the silicon plant, which is in line with expectations, due to the size and mass fractions of particles in Si dust compared to SiMn dust, and to the larger measurement range of the Fidas, measuring down to 180 nm compared to the Nova which measures down to 300 nm. Despite the difference in absolute values, the Nova sensors were found to provide data for comparing dust levels over time for different processes, at different locations, and under different operational conditions.publishedVersio

Influence of Atmosphere and Temperature on Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbon Emissions from Green Anode Paste Baking

Coal tar pitch, a well-known source of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs), is used as a binder of petroleum coke in prebaked anodes used for electrolysis of aluminum. Anodes are baked up to 1100 °C over a 20-day period, where flue gas containing PAHs and volatile organic compounds (VOCs) are treated using techniques such as regenerative thermal oxidation, quenching, and washing. Conditions during baking facilitate incomplete combustion of PAHs, and due to the various structures and properties of PAHs, the effect of temperature up to 750 °C and various atmospheres during pyrolysis and combustion were tested. PAH emissions from green anode paste (GAP) dominate in the temperature interval of 251–500 °C, where PAH species of 4–6 rings make up the majority of the emission profile. During pyrolysis in argon atmosphere, a total of 1645 μg EPA-16 PAHs are emitted per gram of GAP. Adding 5 and 10% CO2 to the inert atmosphere does not seem to affect the PAH emission level significantly, at 1547 and 1666 μg/g, respectively. When adding oxygen, concentrations decreased to 569 μg/g and 417 μg/g for 5% and 10% O2, respectively, corresponding to a 65% and 75% decrease in emission.publishedVersio

Assessment of hydrogen quality dispensed for hydrogen refuelling stations in Europe

The fuel quality of hydrogen dispensed from 10 refuelling stations in Europe was assessed. Representative sampling was conducted from the nozzle by use of a sampling adapter allowing to bleed sample gas in parallel while refuelling an FCEV. Samples were split off and distributed to four laboratories for analysis in accordance with ISO 14687 and SAE J2719. The results indicated some inconsistencies between the laboratories but were still conclusive. The fuel quality was generally good. Elevated nitrogen concentrations were detected in two samples but not in violation with the new 300 μmol/mol tolerance limit. Four samples showed water concentrations higher than the 5 μmol/mol tolerance limit estimated by at least one laboratory. The results were ambiguous: none of the four samples showed all laboratories in agreement with the violation. One laboratory reported an elevated oxygen concentration that was not corroborated by the other two laboratories and thus considered an outlier.publishedVersio

Nytte av tiltak for universell utforming i kollektivtransporten

Universell utforming betyr at hovedløsningen skal kunne benyttes av alle – uansett forutsetninger. For kollektivtransport gjelder det at hvert ledd i en reisekjede skal være utformet slik at kollektivtransportsystemet er tilgjengelig for alle. Denne artikkelen dokumenterer at tiltak for universell utforming i stor grad oppfattes som generell kvalitetsheving av kollektivtilbudet og i mindre grad som spesialløsninger for funksjonshemmede. Dermed kan slike tiltak vurderes på linje med andre tiltak for bedre kollektivtransport i samfunnsøkonomisk nyttekostnadsanalyser, noe som hittil ikke har vært vanlig