Mobility as a Service Concept With the increasing possibilities of information technology that is becoming mobile accessible, geo-specific and real-time, we are seeing an increase in the variety of different mobility services. New technologies and business models…
Do shared modes lead to more or to less competition in urban mobility? Due to increasing economies of scale, public transport services in urban areas tend to a ‘natural monopoly’. In taxi markets, there are also important barriers to competition. Most shared modes use platforms…
Do semi-collective (or alternative) transport services have the potential to transform our cities? In parallel with “official” public transport, there exists a multitude of “semi-collective” transport services, such as Demand Responsive Transit (or paratransit), jitneys (or dollar vans), and shuttles. With the emergence of innovative…
How shared and automated mobility will shake up the market for parking space The economic and environmental costs of parking spaces for cars are huge. Shared mobility is already affecting this market, and the effects will become more pronounced when automated and electric cars become…
Overconfidence and optimism bias and traffic safety People show unrealistic optimism and overconfidence with regard to their own potential and performance. This affects individual risk-taking, and can prevent people from taking preventive measures. In the case of transport behaviour,…
Shared mobility and accessibility Demand Responsive Transport (DRT) has been used to offer accessibility to mobility impaired people, to people living in rural areas and to the urban poor. However, the cost of provision of DRT…
Shared mobility and big data Platforms involved in shared mobility (ranging from bicycle sharing to ridesourcing) have access to massive datasets on both the transport network (such as the current levels of speed and congestion), and on…
Shared, automated and electric mobility and transport pricing Currently, the allocation of congested road space does not take into account drivers’ valuation of time. Some shared transportation solutions (such as carsharing and ridesourcing) however contain elements of dynamic pricing, where…
‘Soft’ transport measures should reflect people’s social networks and build on these networks People have a tendency to compare with others when making decisions or evaluating the consequences of these decisions. For instance, people may stick with travel habits (such as commuting by car) even…
The social constraints people face are key to understanding travel behaviour Travel decisions are sometimes or partly made at the level of a group instead of being made by an individual. For instance, parents do not just travel from home to work, but…
Travel planning apps can be used to promote and evaluate sustainable travel behaviour Several cognitive processes that underpin travel decisions can now be delegated to ICT. One might argue that the emergence of mobile apps renders much of the existing research on cognitive biases obsolete.…
What are Ridesourcing / Transportation Network Company (TNC) Services? Ridesourcing or Transportation Network Company (TNC) services use smartphone apps to bring passengers in contact with drivers who typically drive part-time, and use their own car. The ‘surge pricing’ practised by TNCs…
Barriers to the uptake of shared mobility Shared transport solutions face a series of barriers, such as the establishment of trust relationships between strangers – a key requirement for a platform that brokers sharing transactions. The sign up process…
Who uses shared mobility solutions and what is its future growth potential? Although shared mobility solutions are very diverse, existing work indicates that their ‘typical’ users have some key common features: they tend to be well-educated young adults living in urban areas; who don’t…
Why and how should public authorities support shared mobility? Shared mobility has the potential to substantially reduce congestion and polluting, if embedded in appropriate policies. Authorities need to encourage shared solutions such as “Mobility as a Service” that bridge the last…
Travel demand modelling and Prospect Theory According to Prospect Theory, the value people attach to goods depends on their relevant reference point. People tend to value goods more if they already possess them (‘loss aversion’). Prospect theory raises…
Nudges in Transport The central message of the behavioural economics approach to policy making is that there are many situations where people run the risk of acting against their own interest. As a result, transport…
Status quo bias and travel behaviour People have a tendency to stick with the status quo. They often forego opportunities for improving their situation, without even giving consideration to these opportunities. Status quo bias may be more pronounced…
Mobility as a Service Mobility as a Service (MaaS) involves buying mobility services based on consumers’ needs instead of buying the means of transport. The platform provides an intermodal journey planner, a booking system, a single…
Bicycle Sharing – about, types, pros and cons Bikesharing schemes enable users to access bikes on an as-needed basis in urban areas. This can facilitate the use of cycling rather than other non-sustainable modes of transport. Bike sharing stations are…
Why the framing of transport information matters Research in numerous fields has shown that people’s decisions are influenced by the way in which problems are stated. In the field of transport, this implies, for instance, that the framing of…
Fleet Car-Sharing – The B2B Market Business, or corporate, carsharing can reduce the impact of private vehicle fleets provided for business purposes. The popularity of carsharing has increased dramatically over the past years, and it is becoming known…
Levels of Automation Vehicle automation has been becoming more salient in past years. The NHTSA (USA) has defined 5 levels of automation that explain how much ‘control’ the vehicle has instead of the driver. These vary…
Demand Responsive Transit (DRT) Demand-responsive transit (DRT) is often seen as a combination of regular public transit services (fixed route, fixed schedule) and completely personalised taxi services (flexible route, flexible schedule). They are often used where…
Mobility as a Lifestyle Concept – Layers of decision making The strength and importance of mobility has been understated in the past due to its restricted definition as the ability to travel from A to B. This view of mobility clouds the…
Courier Network Services Courier network services is a new form of delivery service that uses online applications or platforms to facilitate the delivery of freight. This can either be through a company, or through an…
Policy advice & legal and regulatory hurdles for AVs Vehicle automation may facilitate more efficient traffic demand management. However, there is a case that the application of automation toward more socially desirable objectives, such as reducing the need to travel and…