The relationship between public and private bicycle use: the case of Seville

Despite the success achieved by Public Bicycle Sharing Systems (PBSS) across the world, several researchers provide evidence on their limitations and constraints in a medium-long term, and bicycle ownership may be considered as a complementary tool to promote a 'bicycle-culture'. This paper aims to cover the gap about the interaction between both systems (public bicycle / private bicycle) and which are the key aspects to explain the bicycle-buying decision. After a fieldwork based on surveys conducted in Seville (Spain), one of the cities currently acknowledged worldwide for its successful policy of promoting cycling, we apply a Discrete Choice Model. Our findings show that among the socio-demographic factors that favor the move from the PBSS to the private bicycle are: having a higher level of education, being more progressive ideologically-speaking, and being a resident of the city itself; while age and gender do not appear to be conclusive. Experienced users, for whom the bicycle is a part of his /her healthy lifestyle, state a greater willingness to buy a bicycle. And the main obstacles to make the jump from the PBSS to the private bicycle, and that any action plan to support private bicycle usage should take into account, are: the lack of proper parking at the origin/destination, and fear of theft

How can the effects of the introduction of a new airline on a national airline network be measured? A time series approach for the Ryanair case in Spain

This paper quantifies the Ryanair Effect on the Spanish airline network. It proposes new methodology based on an advanced time series approach that allows both the direct and indirect effects of the incorporation of a new airline to be measured and that can be easily extrapolated to other airport systems. The findings show the mean indirect effect on other airlines, in absolute value, is 8.6 per cent of the total airport traffic, peaking at a maximum of almost 29 per cent. Also, surprisingly, there is found to be a negative indirect effect at only four of the ten airports analysed

At a time of insurgent parties, can societies believe in election polls?. The Spanish experience

The main purpose of this paper is to use the Spanish case, through an econometric analysis of 226 electoral polls, to explain why polls are making more mistakes in times of great socioeconomic slumps, political instability and the emergence of new political parties. In this context, it is the very instrument with which society tries to reduce the reigning uncertainty that, paradoxically, can ultimately drive uncertainty up. Our results show that the prediction error for the new emerging parties is significantly higher than for the traditional parties and this error is not sensitive to solutions for increasing the reliability of surveys, such as increasing sample size, transparency constantly conducting periodical surveys, the closeness of the approaching election or the survey mode that is used. It can be observed that pollsters do not want to make predictions that vary greatly from the average of the other polls. Finally, editorial bias appears to play a significant role, especially in the case of traditional parties.El principal objetivo de este artículo es explicar por qué las encuestas electorales cometen más errores en épocas de crisis económica, inestabilidad política y con partidos emergentes como Podemos y Ciudadanos. Para ello utilizamos una base de datos de 226 encuestas previas a las elecciones generales españolas de 2016. En este contexto, paradójicamente vemos como el instrumento que la sociedad utiliza para reducir su incertidumbre puede acabar aumentándola. Nuestros resultados muestran como el error de predicción de los nuevos partidos es significativamente mayor que los tradicionales e insensible a las soluciones clásicas para aumentar la precisión de las encuestas, como el tamaño de la muestra, el método de muestreo, la experiencia del encuestador, o la proximidad de la cita electoral. Además, se observa que las empresas que desarrollan las encuestas realizan de forma sistemática predicciones muy próximas a las que han realizado las encuestas recientes de sus competidores. Finalmente, el sesgo editorial parece ser una variable relevante, especialmente en lo relativo a las predicciones de los partidos tradicionale

Urban retail fabric and the metro: A complex relationship. Lessons from middle-sized Spanish cities

In the last few decades, changes in consumer habits have been observed in household economies. These habits now focus on large retail chains and shopping centers out-of-town rather than independent retailers sited, for the most part, in shopping districts or in the town center. One factor in this trend is the retailer’s accessibility to the customer. Because of this relationship, the retail market share is affected by the development of an efficient transport system, such as the Metro. This paper examines both short- and long-term positive and negative interactions between the retail sector and the introduction of the Metro using empirical evidence from three middle-sized Spanish cities (Bilbao, Málaga and Seville). It also analyzes how retailers assess the influence of a nearby Metro station on their business. Finally, the conclusion is drawn that a new planning model for urban transportation infrastructure works is beginning to prevail with the backing of smallbusiness association lobbies. This model seeks to minimize the effect of works-related neg- ative externalities on urban retail fabrics but can never guarantee a happy ending for independent stores

Who is the charter passenger? Characteristics and attitudes of the leastknown passenger

Despite the fact that charter flights have become a hybrid model between the low-cost carriers and the network carriers, the charter passenger’s profile presents important differences from those of the passengers of the other two types of airline. This article analyses those differences. The authors use a multinomial logit model and a broad database of almost 40,000 passengers. Their results break with certain stereotypical assumptions, such as that charter passengers are low-income, that they use the services of travel agencies to a greater degree, or that they show a clear bias for travel for vacation purposes. Their profile is of infrequent flyers with a longer waiting time before boarding, although this does not mean that they make more purchases at the airport. Furthermore, they look to travel to more remote destinations, with no intermediate stopovers, which are not usually served by the low-cost carriers, as a result of which they have a greater presence at hub airports.Ministerio de Economía y Competitividad ECO2012-3697

The decline of the traditional travel agent model

This article analyzes the struggle between traditional travel agencies and airlines to gain control of the Spanish airline services market. Also analyzed is the strong emergence of a third player, online travel portals that act as online travel agencies. We use a multinomial logit model to study the influence of 27 socio-economic factors and trip attributes on pas- senger purchase channel choice. The results show that the profile of a passenger who has a greater likelihood of making his/her bookings online is that of a young person, a student or educated to a high level, a habitual traveler, booking a simple journey and using an LCC. The factors linked to an increased likelihood of making purchases by phone include: being male, middle-aged, on a business or short trip, and the passengers usually use a travel agency. Finally, passengers who are over 65 years of age, with a lower academic level, who use a travel agency and are going to make a more complicated journey, are more likely to purchase their tickets in-store

Measuring the LCC effect on charter airlines in the Spanish airport system

Using a robust transfer function model methodology, the present paper seeks to offer empirical evidence regarding the size and type of effects that low-cost carriers (LCCs) have had on traffic for charter carriers (CCs) in the Spanish airport system by geographic market. We show an unmistakable substitution relationship between CCs and LCCs in the latter’s typical niche markets, national and European flights, while there is no reaction from the CCs in the segment of international flights outside the EU. Furthermore, substitution effects are smaller between CCs and LCCs on the domestic level than effects between LCCs and network carriers (NCs) and slightly larger on the European level. Lastly, CC traffic’s different sensitivity to terrorist attacks, day of the week, air accidents and the economic crisis is also evident. CCs should therefore be considered an independent category that warrants individualized analyses

Estrategias públicas para el fomento de la bicicleta en propiedad como instrumento para instaurar la cultura ciclista: un caso de estudio

A pesar de los éxitos obtenidos por los sistemas de alquiler de bicicletas públicas (PBSS) en todo el mundo, existe evidencia en la literatura acerca de sus limitaciones y restricciones a medio-largo plazo, de forma que la bicicleta en propiedad podría considerarse como un instrumento complementario para promover una cultura ciclista. Este trabajo analiza la interacción entre ambos sistemas (bicicleta pública / bicicleta privada) y cuáles son los aspectos clave para explicar la decisión de compra por parte de los usuarios. Tras la realización de un trabajo de campo basado en encuestas realizadas en Sevilla, una de las ciudades actualmente reconocidas a nivel mundial por su reciente y exitosa política de promoción de la bicicleta, aplicamos un modelo de elección discreta. Nuestros hallazgos muestran que, entre los factores socio-demográficos que favorecen el tránsito a la bicicleta en propiedad para los usuarios de PBSS, se encuentran: un nivel educativo más elevado, una ideología política progresista, y ser residente de en la misma ciudad; mientras que la edad y el género no parecen ser determinantes. Por otra parte, los usuarios más experimentados, para quienes la bicicleta forma parte de un estilo de vida saludable, presentan una mayor predisposición para comprarse una bicicleta. Finalmente, entre los principales obstáculos para dar el salto desde el PBSS a la bicicleta privada, pueden citarse la falta de aparcamiento adecuado en origen / destino, y el miedo al robo mostrado por los usuarios

Economic analysis of the Spanish port sector reform during the 1990s

In the matter of port legislation, the nineties was a period of maximum interest in Spain. Two laws enacted in 1992 and 1997, respectively, aimed at increasing the autonomy of individual ports in the management and organization of its activities. Before 1992 two different models of management coexisted in the Spanish port system: autonomous decisionmaking ports and ports controlled in its decision-making by the Central Government. The question we address in this paper is how these legislative changes have affected the evolution of the levels of traffic of the Spanish port system from 1992, date of introduction of the first law, to 2003, date of approval of a third legislative change that remains out of this analysis for lack of sufficient data. We find an important impact of legislative changes on port traffic by way of an estimated econometric model over the 1966–2003 period. We control for the effect of other variables that might have influenced Spanish maritime traffic such as international maritime flows, taken as a proxy of globalization, or gross domestic product, under the hypothesis that maritime transport is a demand derived of economic activity. We provide evidence supporting that greater port autonomy had beneficial effects for the Spanish port system as a whol

Análisis Económico y Estratégico del sector de la Hostelería de Sevilla. Hacia la excelencia gastronómica

El trabajo que se presenta en las páginas siguientes ha sido fruto de un Convenio de Colaboración entre el Ayuntamiento de Sevilla, a través de la Delegación de Economía e Innovación, la Asociación Empresarial de Hostelería de Sevilla y la Universidad de Sevilla. El origen de esta colaboración ha sido el interés común del Ayuntamiento de Sevilla y de los empresarios del sector de la Restauración por aunar esfuerzos en la promoción y mejora del sector en la ciudad de Sevilla. Obviamente, desde el principio, fuimos conscientes que este estudio no se podía realizar mediante la mera observación del sector “desde fuera”, por lo que hemos mezclado las técnicas propias de la teoría económica con un amplio abanico de entrevistas personales y telefónicas que han enriquecido el estudio. El trabajo se estructura en seis capítulos. En los dos primeros capítulos se analiza, desde un punto de vista teórico, el sector de la Restauración, analizando tanto la oferta (capítulo primero) como la demanda del consumidor (capítulo segundo). En el capítulo tercero se presentan experiencias gastronómicas y de restauración que, por su éxito, reconocimiento u originalidad, merecían la pena destacarse, tanto en un ámbito internacional como nacional, dedicando un epígrafe a una selección de las mismas en la ciudad de Sevilla. En el capítulo cuarto, que incluye un anexo con datos de las estadísticas fundamentales del sector, se analizan aspectos claves de la Restauración en la ciudad de Sevilla, como pueden ser la visión de la misma en las principales guías gastronómicas y de viajes o la oferta formativa con que cuenta la ciudad de Sevilla para mejorar la cualifi cación de la mano de obra en el sector. En el capítulo quinto se cuantifi ca la aportación económica y social del sector a la economía municipal y provincial, logrando información cualitativa y cuantitativa relevante para la identifi cación de sus características más representativas. Por último, el capítulo sexto ofrece el análisis DAFO del sector junto con las medidas encaminadas a la redacción de un plan de actuaciones que favorezca la excelencia gastronómica