nep-tre New Economics Papers
on Transport Economics
Issue of 2020‒02‒10
sixteen papers chosen by
Erik Teodoor Verhoef
Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam

  1. The network paradigm as a modeling tool in regional economy: the case of interregional commuting in Greece By Dimitrios Tsiotas; Labros Sdrolias; Dimitrios Belias
  2. Integrated microtransit services with chance-constrained dynamic pricing and demand learning By Tai-Yu Ma; Sylvain Klein
  3. Road Rationing Policies and Housing Markets By Rhiannon Jerch; Panle Jia Barwick; Shanjun Li; Jing Wu
  4. Regional airports in Greece, their characteristics and their importance for the local economic development By Serafeim Polyzos; Dimitrios Tsiotas
  5. The Impact of Infrastructure development on Foreign Direct Investment in Cameroon By Stéphane Mbiankeu Nguea
  6. A new dataset of distance and time related transport costs for EU regions By Damiaan Persyn; Jorge Diaz-Lanchas; Javier Barbero; Andrea Conte; Simone Salotti
  7. How New Airport Infrastructure Promotes Tourism: Evidence from a Synthetic Control Approach in German Regions By Luisa Dörr; Florian Dorn; Stefanie Gäbler; Niklas Potrafke
  8. Planning transport for social inclusion: An accessibility-activity participation approach By Allen, Jeff; Farber, Steven
  9. Efficient Taxation of Fuel and Road Use By Geir H. M. Bjertnaes
  10. Chapter 13 - Sharing strategies: carsharing, shared micromobility (bikesharing and scooter sharing), transportation network companies, microtransit, and other innovative mobility modes By Shaheen, Susan PhD; Cohen, Adam; Chan, Nelson; Bansal, Apaar
  11. Does Highway Accessibility Influence Local Tax Factors? Evidence from German Municipalities By Luisa Dörr; Stefanie Gäbler
  12. Short-term health effects of public transport disruptions: air pollution and viral spread channels By A. GODZINSKI; M. SUAREZ CASTILLO
  13. The effect of customer relationship management practices on airline customer loyalty By Salah, Marwa; Abou-Shouk, Mohamed A.
  14. Reimagining the Future of Transportation with Personal Flight: Preparing and Planning for Urban Air Mobility By Cohen, Adam; Guan, Justin; Beamer, Matthew; Dittoe, Ryan; Mokhtarimousavi, Seyedmirsajad
  15. Public-Private Partnerships for Transportation and Water Infrastructure By Congressional Budget Office
  16. Mitigating Bias in Big Data for Transportation By Griffin, Greg Phillip; Mulhall, Megan; Simek, Chris; Riggs, William W.

  1. By: Dimitrios Tsiotas; Labros Sdrolias; Dimitrios Belias
    Abstract: Network Science is an emerging discipline using the network paradigm to model communication systems as pair-sets of interconnected nodes and their linkages (edges). This paper applies this paradigm to study an interacting system in regional economy consisting of daily road transportation flows for labor purposes, the so-called commuting phenomenon. In particular, the commuting system in Greece including 39 non-insular prefectures is modeled into a complex network and it is studied using measures and methods of complex network analysis and empirical techniques. The study aims to detect the structural characteristics of the Greek interregional commuting network (GCN) and to interpret how this network is related to the regional development. The analysis highlights the effect of the spatial constraints in the structure of the GCN, it provides insights about the major road transport projects constructed the last decade, and it outlines a populationcontrolled (gravity) pattern of commuting, illustrating that high-populated regions attract larger volumes of the commuting activity, which consequently affects their productivity. Overall, this paper highlights the effectiveness of complex network analysis in the modeling of systems of regional economy, such as the systems of spatial interaction and the transportation networks, and it promotes the use of the network paradigm to the regional research.
    Date: 2020–01
    URL: http://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:arx:papers:2001.09664&r=all
  2. By: Tai-Yu Ma; Sylvain Klein
    Abstract: The design of integrated mobility-on-demand services requires jointly considering the interactions between traveler choice behavior and operators' operation policies to design a financially sustainable pricing scheme. However, most existing studies focus on the supply side perspective, disregarding the impact of customer choice behavior in the presence of co-existing transport networks. We propose a modeling framework for dynamic integrated mobility-on-demand service operation policy evaluation with two service options: door-to-door rideshare and rideshare with transit transfer. A new constrained dynamic pricing model is proposed to maximize operator profit, taking into account the correlated structure of different modes of transport. User willingness to pay is considered as a stochastic constraint, resulting in a more realistic ticket price setting while maximizing operator profit. Unlike most studies, which assume that travel demand is known, we propose a demand learning process to calibrate customer demand over time based on customers' historical purchase data. We evaluate the proposed methodology through simulations under different scenarios on a test network by considering the interactions of supply and demand in a multimodal market. Different scenarios in terms of customer arrival intensity, vehicle capacity, and the variance of user willingness to pay are tested. Results suggest that the proposed chance-constrained assortment price optimization model allows increasing operator profit while keeping the proposed ticket prices acceptable.
    Date: 2020–01
    URL: http://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:arx:papers:2001.09151&r=all
  3. By: Rhiannon Jerch (Department of Economics, Temple University); Panle Jia Barwick (Department of Economics, Cornell University); Shanjun Li (Dyson School of Applied Economics and Management, Cornell University); Jing Wu (Department of Construction Management, Tsinghua University)
    Abstract: Canonical urban models postulate transportation cost as a key element in determining urban spatial structure. This paper examines how road rationing policies impact the spatial distribution of households using rich micro data on housing transactions and resident demographics in Beijing. We find that Beijing's road rationing policy significantly increased the demand for housing near subway stations as well as CBD. The premium for proximity is stable in the periods prior to the driving restriction, but shifts significantly in the aftermath of the policy. The composition of households living close to subway stations and Beijing's CBD shifts toward wealthier households, consistent with theoretical predictions of the monocentric city model with income-stratified transit modes. Our findings suggest that city-wide road rationing policies can have the unintended consequence of limiting access to public transit for lower income individuals.
    Keywords: road rationing, housing markets, urban structure
    JEL: R21 R41
    Date: 2020–01
    URL: http://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:tem:wpaper:2004&r=all
  4. By: Serafeim Polyzos; Dimitrios Tsiotas
    Abstract: Technological developments worldwide are contributing to the improvement of transport infrastructures and they are helping to reduce the overall transport costs. At the same time, such developments along with the reduction in transport costs are affecting the spatial interdependence between the regions and countries, a fact inducing significant effects on their economies and, in general, on their growth-rates. A specific class of transport infrastructures contributing significantly to overcoming the spatial constraints is the airtransport infrastructures. Nowadays, the importance of air-transport infrastructures in the economic development is determinative, especially for the geographically isolated regions, such as for the island regions of Greece. Within this context, this paper studies the Greek airports and particularly the evolution of their overall transportation imprint, their geographical distribution, and the volume of the transport activity of each airport. Also, it discusses, in a broad context, the seasonality of the Greek airport activity, the importance of the airports for the local and regional development, and it formulates general conclusions.
    Date: 2020–01
    URL: http://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:arx:papers:2001.09666&r=all
  5. By: Stéphane Mbiankeu Nguea (LAREFA, Faculty of Economics and Management, University of Dschang, Cameroon)
    Abstract: Better access to improved infrastructure services is one of the components of a favourable investment climate for foreign investors and an important engine for sustainable economic growth. The purpose of this study was to investigate the effects of communication, energy and transport infrastructures development on Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) in Cameroon. This study employs autoregressive distributed lag (ARDL) approach to cointegration and an error correction model based on ARDL approach using time series data for the period 1984-2014. The results revealed that communication infrastructure has a positive and significant impact on FDI in both the long run and the short run. Findings also revealed a negative impact of energy infrastructure in attracting FDI in the long run and in the short run while an insignificant impact of transport infrastructure on FDI is registered in both the long run and the short run. The results suggest that the improvement of business climate trough better infrastructures play a major role in attracting FDI in Cameroon.
    Keywords: ARDL,FDI,Cameroon JEL Classification: H41,R42,F21,E22,Infrastructure
    Date: 2020–01–21
    URL: http://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:hal:wpaper:halshs-02446497&r=all
  6. By: Damiaan Persyn (European Commission - JRC); Jorge Diaz-Lanchas (European Commission - JRC); Javier Barbero (European Commission - JRC); Andrea Conte (European Commission - JRC); Simone Salotti (European Commission - JRC)
    Abstract: Transport costs data are a key input for trade analysis and for industry-level studies focusing on spatial distribution and logistics. Surprisingly, good transport estimates at a detailed spatial level for the EU are not readily available. This Policy Insight presents a new freely available dataset containing estimates of distance and time related transport costs between all NUTS-2 EU regions. This Insight briefly illustrates both the main assumptions behind the construction of the dataset and its core characteristics. The estimates take into account both the time needed and the distance covered by a representative truck travelling along optimal routes between samples of points within the EU regions. The resulting dataset contains an origin-destination cost matrix in euros at the region pair level. Moreover, the sampling approach allows calculating average transport costs within each region. Both arithmetic and harmonic averages are considered - the latter may be more relevant for interaction modelling such as the estimation of trade gravity equations.
    Keywords: rhomolo, region, growth, transport costs, regional distance, EU
    JEL: C82 R12 R40 R41
    Date: 2020–01
    URL: http://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:ipt:iptwpa:jrc119412&r=all
  7. By: Luisa Dörr; Florian Dorn; Stefanie Gäbler; Niklas Potrafke
    Abstract: We examine how new airport infrastructure influences regional tourism. Identification is based on the conversion of a military air base into a regional commercial airport in the German state of Bavaria. The new airport opened in 2007 and promotes travelling to the touristic region Allgäu in the Bavarian Alps. We use a synthetic control approach and show that the new commercial airport increased tourism in the Allgäu region over the period 2008-2016. The positive effect is especially pronounced in the county where the airport is located. Our results suggest that new transportation infrastructure promotes regional economic development.
    Keywords: airports, tourism, regional development, transportation infrastructure, synthetic control method
    JEL: O18 Z38 L93
    Date: 2019
    URL: http://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:ces:ceswps:_8010&r=all
  8. By: Allen, Jeff (University of Toronto); Farber, Steven
    Abstract: Social equity is increasingly becoming an important objective in transport planning and project evaluation. This paper provides a framework and an empirical investigation in the Greater Toronto and Hamilton Area (GTHA) examining the links between public transit accessibility and the risks of social exclusion, simply understood as the suppressed ability to conduct daily activities at normal levels. Specifically, we use a large-sample travel survey to present a new transport-geography concept termed participation deserts, neighbourhood-level clusters of lower than expected activity participation. We then use multivariate models to estimate where, and for whom, improvements in transit accessibility will effectively increase activity participation and reduce risks of transport-related social exclusion. Our results show that neighbourhoods with high concentrations of low-income and zero-car households located outside of major transit corridors are the most sensitive to having improvements in accessibility increase daily activity participation rates. We contend that transit investments providing better connections to these neighbourhoods would have the greatest benefit in terms of alleviating existing inequalities and reducing the risks of social exclusion. The ability for transport investments to liberate suppressed activity participation is not currently being predicted or valued in existing transport evaluation methodologies, but there is great potential in doing so in order to capture the social equity benefits associated with increasing transit accessibility.
    Date: 2020–01–03
    URL: http://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:osf:socarx:ap7wh&r=all
  9. By: Geir H. M. Bjertnaes
    Abstract: This study calculates efficient taxes on gasoline and road use designed to combat driving related externalities when motorists avoid taxes due to an excessive economic driving-style. The efficient tax on gasoline is reduced below the Pigouvian rate due to such avoidance. The current US tax rate on gasoline is below the efficient tax rate while the current UK rate is slightly above the efficient rate in this case. A GPS-based road user charge prevents such avoidance. The efficient GPS-based road user charge should be combined with a tax on gasoline which promotes an economic driving-style that lowers accidents.
    Keywords: transportation, optimal taxation, environmental taxation, global warming
    JEL: H20 H21 H23 Q58 R48
    Date: 2019
    URL: http://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:ces:ceswps:_8019&r=all
  10. By: Shaheen, Susan PhD; Cohen, Adam; Chan, Nelson; Bansal, Apaar
    Abstract: Shared mobility—the shared use of a vehicle, bicycle, or other mode—is an innovative transportation strategy that enables users to gain short-term access to transportation modes on an “as-needed” basis. It includes various forms of carsharing, bikesharing, scooter sharing, ridesharing (carpooling and vanpooling), transportation network companies (TNCs), and microtransit. Included in this ecosystem are smartphone “apps” that aggregate and optimize these mobility options, as well as “courier network services” that provide last mile package and food delivery. This chapter describes different models that have emerged in shared mobility and reviews research that has quantified the environmental, social, and transportation-related impacts of these services.
    Keywords: Engineering, shared mobility, innovative mobility, sharing economy, business models, sustainable transportation
    Date: 2020–01–01
    URL: http://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:cdl:itsrrp:qt0z9711dw&r=all
  11. By: Luisa Dörr; Stefanie Gäbler
    Abstract: We examine how highway accessibility influences tax policy. We exploit the stagewise expansion of the “Baltic Sea highway” in the East German state Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania as the largest contiguous highway construction project in Germany since 1945. For non-agglomeration municipalities that lie on a convenient route between two larger cities the access and opening year are close to random. Results from difference-in-differences estimations and an event study approach show that highway access influences local tax setting in municipalities within 5 to 10 km road distance. Improved accessibility increases property tax factors persistently by roughly 6 percentage points. Our effects are driven by peripheral municipalities, while we do not find an influence on core municipalities. Additionally, improved accessibility gives rise to a shift of population and economic activity from the periphery to the core.
    Keywords: Highway, infrastructure, accessibility, tax factors, municipalities, local governments
    JEL: H54 H71 O18
    Date: 2020
    URL: http://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:ces:ifowps:_321&r=all
  12. By: A. GODZINSKI (Insee); M. SUAREZ CASTILLO (Insee)
    Abstract: When public transport supply decreases, urban population health may be strongly affected. First, as ambient air pollution increases, respiratory diseases may be exacerbated during a few days. Second, reduced interpersonal contacts may lead to a slower viral spread, and therefore, after a few incubation days, lower morbidity. We evidence these two channels, using a difference-in-differences strategy, considering public transport strikes in the ten most populated French cities over the 2010-2015 period. On the two days following the strike, we find less emergency hospital admissions for influenza and gastroenteritis. In spite of the existence of this contagion channel, which tends to mitigate the increase of admissions for respiratory diseases, we also evidence a substantial air pollution channel. On the strike day, we find more admissions for acute diseases of the upper respiratory system, while on the following day of the strike, more abnormalities of breathing. Our results suggest that urban population daily transportation choices do matter as they engender dynamic spillovers on health.
    Keywords: Dynamic health effects, transport strike, air pollution, contagion, difference-in-differences
    JEL: I12 I18 C23 L91 Q53 R41
    Date: 2019
    URL: http://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:nse:doctra:g2019-03&r=all
  13. By: Salah, Marwa; Abou-Shouk, Mohamed A.
    Abstract: Customer satisfaction and loyalty are important concerns for travel providers and have a significant role in maximizing their sales. Therefore, adopting the activities of customer relationship management could help them building strong relationships with customers. This study explores the opinions of EgyptAir passengers on customer relationship management activities adopted by the company and how this affects their satisfaction and loyalty. A questionnaire was used for data collection and structural equation modelling was employed for rigorous findings. Findings revealed a positive significant effect of shared values, bonding, commitment, trust, tangibility, and handling customer conflicts on passenger satisfaction and loyalty.
    Keywords: CRM, airlines, satisfaction, loyalty, EgyptAir, Egypt
    JEL: L14 L83 L93 N37
    Date: 2019–11–30
    URL: http://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:pra:mprapa:98032&r=all
  14. By: Cohen, Adam; Guan, Justin; Beamer, Matthew; Dittoe, Ryan; Mokhtarimousavi, Seyedmirsajad
    Keywords: Engineering
    Date: 2020–01–12
    URL: http://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:cdl:itsrrp:qt9hs209r2&r=all
  15. By: Congressional Budget Office
    Abstract: In a public-private partnership, the private partner is responsible for multiple stages of an infrastructure project in a way that transfers risks to it and creates incentives for that partner to be efficient. Such partnerships that provide transportation and water infrastructure are uncommon in the United States.
    JEL: H54 H74 H81 H77 R51
    Date: 2020–01–21
    URL: http://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:cbo:report:56003&r=all
  16. By: Griffin, Greg Phillip (The University of Texas at San Antonio); Mulhall, Megan; Simek, Chris; Riggs, William W.
    Abstract: Emerging big data resources and practices provide opportunities to improve transportation safety planning and outcomes. However, researchers and practitioners recognise that big data from mobile phones, social media, and on-board vehicle systems include biases in representation and accuracy, related to transportation safety statistics. This study examines both the sources of bias and approaches to mitigate them through a review of published studies and interviews with experts. Coding of qualitative data enabled topical comparisons and reliability metrics. Results identify four categories of bias and mitigation approaches that concern transportation researchers and practitioners: sampling, measurement, demographics, and aggregation. This structure for understanding and working with bias in big data supports research with practical approaches for rapidly evolving transportation data sources.
    Date: 2020–01–18
    URL: http://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:osf:socarx:trbv9&r=all

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