Disruption Costs in Bus Contract Transitions

This paper investigates the role of assessment criteria in assisting members of the competitive tendering evaluation committee to choose their preferred operator, be it the incumbent or a new operator. In a world where there are increasing numbers of jurisdictions moving to competitive tendering for their land based public transport, there is an increased incidence of a change in operator when the term of the contract comes to an end. In many jurisdictions, the anecdotal evidence on the disruption caused by this change in operator is growing. Is there a danger that Government decides to stay with a bad outcome because previous experience with transition was bad? Or conversely, might Government opt for a transition simply on the basis of the bid offer price without taking account of the transaction (especially disruption) costs involved for government, operator and the travelling public? We investigate this issue using a stated choice experiment in which members of evaluation committees are presented with a series of alternative operator bids that include, ex ante, a measure of the transition costs identified as a proportion of the lowest offer for the contract, and two proxy descriptors of operator reputation. The outcome of the experiment is modelled as a mixed logit choice model to identify the role that the transition costs play in influencing the preferences of evaluation committee members, providing evidence for the first time on the extent to which the often unreported role of such transition costs, perceived or real, appear to play in the minds of competitive tender evaluation

Do preferences for BRT and LRT change as a voter, citizen, tax payer, or self- interested resident?

Interest in modal preferences remains a topic of high interest as governments make infrastructure decisions that often favour one mode over the other. An informative input into the infrastructure selection process should be the preferences of residents, since they can guide buy in to support political and bureaucratic choice making. Cost-benefit analysis (CBA) uses the self-interest preferences of individuals as the relevant interpretation of ‘individual preferences count’, which in aggregate represent the benefit to society of candidate investments. However, the CBA benefit calculations can be rather restrictive with other preference metrics often being identified and used in various ways to inform the debate on infrastructure support. In this paper we assess how the preferences for bus rapid transit (BRT) and light rail transit (LRT) change with different roles the residents may play: a citizen or altruistic resident, a self-interested resident, a tax-payer, and as a voter. We use data collected in five countries to investigate preference differences and also to establish whether there is replicability of the findings across geographical jurisdictions. The findings suggest that there are, in general, noticeable differences in preference revelation across the metrics; however there are also both similarities and differences in the role of specific attribute drivers (as represented by willingness to pay, and magnitude of support for a specific mode) within and between preference metrics across countries

Vehicle value of travel time savings: Evidence from a group based modelling approach

The value of travel time savings (VTTS) accounts for a majority of the total user benefits in economic appraisal of transport investments. This means that having an accurate estimate of VTTS for different segments of travel continues to retain currency, despite there being a rich literature on estimates of VTTS for different travel modes, travel purposes, income groups, life cycles, and distance bands. In contrast, there is a dearth of research and evidence on vehicle VTTS, although joint travel by car is an important segment of travel. This paper fills this gap by developing a group-based modelling approach to quantify the vehicle VTTS and compares this with the VTTS for a driver with and without a passenger. An online survey was conducted in Sydney in 2014 and the data used to obtain a number of new empirical estimates of vehicle and driver VTTS. The new evidence questions the validity of various assumptions adopted in current practice for valuing the time savings of car passengers and multiple occupant cars.Australian Research Council Discovery Progra

Cross-cultural contrasts of preferences for Bus Rapid Transit and Light Rail Transit

Bus rapid transit (BRT) appears to be relatively unpopular in developed economies despite its appeal in delivering high quality services, usually at a fraction of light rail transit (LRT) costs. This is often linked to an emotional bias towards rail-based solutions and an image perception that clouds the potential merits of a bus-based system. This paper builds on published research from Australia, extended by the results of a stated choice experiment conducted in five developed economies − including the US, France, Portugal, the UK, and Australia − with an aim to verify whether modal preferences are culture-specific and if so what are the drivers of community preferences for BRT and LRT in different geographical settings. We identify the nature of the preference differences to show how citizens/voters could be targeted to buy-in to BRT or LRT systems. Potential gains in public support for BRT are shown through scenario analysis on attributes assessed in a series of choice scenarios, together with voter experience with specific modes and socioeconomic profiles. Willingness to pay estimates are obtained for each of the attributes defining the preferences for and against BRT/LRT.Institute of Transport and Logistics Studies. Faculty of Economics and Business. The University of Sydne

Understanding MaaS: Past, Present and Future

Daily references to the changing landscape in the provision of passenger transport services is made in the transport literature, including grey material. Mobility as a Service (MaaS) is the acronym which appears to have caught the imagination of technology providers with promises of a new era of passenger transport whereby assets need not be owned and services can be bought at the point of need. It is the technological developments which have spearheaded the new understanding of MaaS.MaaS has evolved into a concept that integrates public and private transport services to provide one- stop access through a common interface. MaaS is at the centre of the popular view on future collaborative and connected mobility. For transport policy, MaaS is seen as a way to reduce car traffic, and its negative externalities, by enabling citizens to satisfy their mobility needs without having to own assets such as automobiles, either conventional or (in the future) self-driving. MaaS also opens new choices for non-car owning citizens who previously had limited transport options, making some of them socially excluded. Whilst definitions vary, the concept of MaaS has several dimensions: in the form of a smart app and in real-time, it provides mobility services using multimodal options, through a sophisticated journey planner that provides the user with multiple customised options and offers the opportunity for payment either at the point of use or with a pre-purchased mobility bundle. This single platform is envisaged to eventually be transferable around the world from city to city and region to region and also to remain pervasive to the user by working and monitoring the journey in real-time and providing options for recovery in the case of disruption, and with an aspiration to support public equity objectives.MaaS has also received considerable attention in recent years from decision-makers (for instance, the Finnish government has implemented new transport regulations intended to facilitate MaaS developments) and practitioners (examples of MaaS start-ups include MaaS Global in Finland, EC2B in Sweden and Moovel in Germany) as well as researchers (e.g., Hensher and Mulley (2019) Hensher, 2017; Jittrapirom, 2017; Sochor et al., 2016; Wong et al., 2019; Mulley, 2017). Still, the knowledge of MaaS is nascent, trials for the most part have not been thoroughly evaluated and the evidence for the mobility and societal benefits of MaaS have yet to be confirmed.The paper is structured as follows. The next section provides the literature context that underpins the part of the title of this paper relating to the ‘Past’. This is followed by a section detailing the present in terms of a current MaaS trial in Sydney, New South Wales, designed to provide another ‘data point’ in our current understanding of MaaS. The penultimate section looks to the future and the challenges ahead by identifying some key questions critical to the development of MaaS. The final section concludes

Mobility as a service in community transport in Australia : Can it provide a sustainable future?

Acknowledgements This research of this paper has been made possible through an industry partnership grant between the Business School at the University of Sydney, Australia and the Community Transport partners. We are grateful for this support and for the support of their clients, our respondents. We are also grateful for the anonymous comments of reviewers who have enabled us to improve the paper. Funding sources This paper utilised research funded under the University of Sydney Business School’s Industry Partnership scheme whereby five CT providers partnered with the Business School to fund the research. The authors acknowledge the facilities, and the scientific and technical assistance of the Sydney Informatics Hub at the University of Sydney and, in particular, access to the high performance computing facility Artemis.Peer reviewedPostprin

Tissue-selective estrogen complexes with bazedoxifene prevent metabolic dysfunction in female mice

Pairing the selective estrogen receptor modulator bazedoxifene (BZA) with estrogen as a tissue-selective estrogen complex (TSEC) is a novel menopausal therapy. We investigated estrogen, BZA and TSEC effects in preventing diabetisity in ovariectomized mice during high-fat feeding. Estrogen, BZA or TSEC prevented fat accumulation in adipose tissue, liver and skeletal muscle, and improved insulin resistance and glucose intolerance without stimulating uterine growth. Estrogen, BZA and TSEC improved energy homeostasis by increasing lipid oxidation and energy expenditure, and promoted insulin action by enhancing insulin-stimulated glucose disposal and suppressing hepatic glucose production. While estrogen improved metabolic homeostasis, at least partially, by increasing hepatic production of FGF21, BZA increased hepatic expression of Sirtuin1, PPARα and AMPK activity. The metabolic benefits of BZA were lost in estrogen receptor-α deficient mice. Thus, BZA alone or in TSEC produces metabolic signals of fasting and caloric restriction and improves energy and glucose homeostasis in female mice

Barriers towards enhancing mobility through MaaS in a Regional and Rural context: insights from suppliers and organisers

This study explores the potential of a mobility framework for MaaS in a regional and rural context. In-depth interviews of stakeholders, including Non-Transport Providers and Transport Providers, were conducted in three regional locations in New South Wales, Australia, and their attitudes towards MaaS analysed. Findings revealed that the majority had a positive attitude towards MaaS; while those who expressed negative attitudes commonly had concerns about subscription fees, the underlying reliance on private cars in rural areas, and the digital usage by older people. The paper discusses the government's role in improving travel options which ensure equitable access to both local and regional transport services. Policy implications for necessary adjustments to the modal landscape and the design of a digital App and payment methods are drawn. The results provide insights into the features of mobility services, which could include alternative uses for the private car, provided by various stakeholders and their fit within the mobility framework