Evaluating the mobility and environmental effects of light-rail transit developments using a multi-state supernetwork approach

Mass light-rail transit (LRT) has been promoted as an effective solution toward sustainable transportation in urban areas. This paper presents a micro-simulation framework combining the multi-state supernetwork (MSN) approach and a mobility-related emission module to evaluate the mobility and environmental effects of LRT developments. The evaluation framework considers individuals’ mode choice of LRT and particularly the trip chaining with their private vehicles to conduct daily activity programs. As complementary policies to LRT developments, parking pricing and park & ride (P + R) developments are also integrated. The output of daily travel patterns from the MSN approach can be used congruently to calculate the air pollutant emissions. The framework is applied to the extended Metropolitan area of Eindhoven (the Netherlands), where new LRT developments and additional parking policies are considered to improve accessibility and reduce environmental effects. The micro-simulation concerns a synthetic population of approximately 110,000 individuals and seven LRT scenarios. The simulation results show a decrease in overall vehicle kilometers traveled and travel time, an increase in public transport use, a decrease in total air pollutant emissions, and an increase in activities in areas around public transport stops and P + R locations. It appears that the inclusion of parking measures in the simulations strengthens the effects, confirming the effectiveness of policy combinations

Understanding travel preferences for user-based relocation strategies of one-way electric car-sharing services

One-way electric car-sharing services (ECS) are considered a promising solution for sustainable passenger mobility. To ensure balanced supply–demand of shared cars in the operational areas, ECS operators tend to explore user-based relocation strategies in addition to the costly operator-based ones. Through a stated preference experiment administered in the Netherlands, we study the travel preferences for ECS and user-based relocation strategies in a comprehensive framework integrating people's current mobility choices and contextual variables. Incentives for picking-up/dropping-off shared cars at distant alternative locations and sharing rides are embedded in two sub-experiments of varied trip distances. The results from an error component multinomial logit (EC-MNL) model show multi-faceted preferences. Particularly, we find that people interested in ECS are willing to collaborate with ECS operators. Alternative pick-up is the most favorite relocation strategy, followed by alternative drop-off and sharing rides. The willingness to accept the incentive for additional access and egress time is estimated as high as 0.33 EUR per walking minute. It is also found that respondents do not show significant differences in preferences for car sanitation by ECS operators or self-service during the times of the COVID-19 pandemic. This study provides useful implications for operators and policy-makers regarding the user characteristics and contextual settings favoring user-based relocation strategies

User acceptance of electric car-sharing services: The case of the Netherlands

To reduce the externalities associated with the excessive use of carbon-fueled private vehicles, transport authorities and operators have recently been promoting one-way electric car-sharing services (ECS). Several studies attempted to identify the user acceptance and profiles of various car-sharing services, but there is a lack of consistent evidence of the psychological drivers of user acceptance. Based on an extension of the unified theory of acceptance and use of technology (UTAUT), this paper investigates the effects of six psychological constructs on behavioral intention to use ECS. Results from applying structural equation modeling to a survey with 656 respondents in the Netherlands show that social influence represents the most important driver of behavioral intention, followed by performance expectancy and personal attitude. It is also found that high satisfaction with the current means of transport for urban trips contributes to building trust in ECS companies, while car ownership has a negative indirect effect on behavioral intention. In response to the COVID-19 pandemic, the impact of hygienization measures on behavioral intention is considered. The result shows that respondents have a high degree of trust in ECS operators complying with cleaning requirements, which is translated into a lower degree of anxiety and consequently higher behavioral intention