Process Model for the Introduction of Automated Buses

Round 1

Reviewer 1 Report

In this paper, improvements are derived and a separate process model for the introduction of automated buses is developed. The manuscript presents some significant results worthy of publication but should be revised to be more precise and accurate in the wording of the text. Below are some detailed comments:

1. The novelty of the work should be explained in detail in the Abstract and Conclusion. The expression of the abstract should be improved. A more detailed presentation of innovation should be conducted. 

2. Please pay more attention to the expression check. Please try to conduct more literature reviews. Please try to complete a brief expression of your proposed method.

3. Please highlight the part improved by your research and try to make it more obvious. 

4. More recent literature should be cited and analyzed for the mathematical analysis, such as An improved feedforward-long short-term memory modeling method for the whole-life-cycle state of charge prediction of lithium-ion batteries considering current-voltage-temperature variation, A Critical Review of Improved Deep Convolutional Neural Network for Multi-Timescale State Prediction of Lithium-Ion Batteries.

5. The writing of the paper should be improved. Please try to improve all the contents, and the presentation should be revised to make the readers get your idea more clearly, making the logic clear and correct. Also, the innovation and realization should be described clearly.  

6. More expression of the mathematical analysis should be conducted to show your ideas clearly with figures and equations.

7. Please express your innovation briefly for the Conclusion.

8. The experimental result comparison with references should be conducted for advantage verification.

9. For this version, many contents are expressed for the traditional methods. Please pay more attention to your content.

10. The whole structure can be improved. As other researchers are more concerning your idea and innovation, the expression of your method can be the first sight. After your particular idea is described clearly, the experimental verification can be conducted following it.

The writing of the paper should be improved. Please try to improve all the contents, and the presentation should be revised to make the readers get your idea more clearly, making the logic clear and correct. Also, the innovation and realization should be described clearly.  

Author Response

Regarding 1: Abstract and summary have been adjusted so that the innovation is clearer. 

Regarding 2: The literature search especially in terms of mathematical model was extended. In addition, the own methodology was also described more clearly. 

Regarding 3: What was improved by my research was added once at Introduction (lines 69 to 95). But also again in chapter 4.

Regarding 4: The mathematical analysis was expanded. In particular, more recent sources were added (lines 278 to 294). The two proposed sources were judged not to be appropriate and therefore not cited.

Regarding 5: Overall, the paper was adapted to more clearly present the innovation and goal of the paper in the introduction, results, discussion, and conclusions. 

Regarding 6: In Chapter 4, mathematical calculations were newly added and the effects of automated buses on these equations were described. 

Regarding 7: The conclusion was also adjusted. 

Regarding 8: Chapter 4 will now better compare the results of the literature on the approach to public transportation planning and also the mathematical models with the effects of automated buses. 

Regading 9: The description of the own work was expanded in chapter 4, once at the beginning and but also in the individual phases. 

Regarding 10: See Point 5. The structure of the work was adjusted again. 

Regarding Quality of english: The whole work was proofread again and improvements were added. 

Reviewer 2 Report

In this paper, the authors develop a planning procedure for the introduction of automated buses in the transport sector. Starting from the existing approaches of transport planning and public transport planning, authors propose improvements and finally, a separate process model for the introduction of automated buses. The subject is interesting and falls within the journal topic. Generally speaking, the study is well written and documented, and deserve to be published.

 

Authors should address to the following issues:

 

1.      Lines 465-466: ‘This refers to additional input data, new calculation methods and quality criteria to be optimized.’ Authors are invited to specify which are the additional data, which are the new calculation methods and quality criteria to be optimized. How can a quality criterion be optimized?

2.      Section 4. Results. In this section authors present their new process model for the introduction of automated buses which meets all criteria. The first three stages of this model are based on activities referenced in literature. A question arises: what is new?

Author Response

Regarding 1: It has now been made clearer how quality criteria can be optimized. This section can now be found in lines 511 to 526.

Regarding 2: In chapter 4 it was explained again better that not the phases of the process change but the content in the form of new input parameters, which change the work steps and methods. This is the new of the work and the own innovation.

Reviewer 3 Report

Thank you for submitting you research paper for Sustainability. This is a well-written paper. However, there a few aspects that need to be addressed by the authors. 

1.      The abstract seems to prioritize presenting findings rather than effectively conveying the central idea(s) examined in the paper and its contribution to the existing scientific knowledge. Its lack of coherence makes it difficult to comprehend.

2.      The main contributions of this paper are not clearly presented in the introduction section. The authors need to highlight the research problems, significance, and gaps in the literature. 

3. Highlight the real-world applications and potential benefits of your study's findings. Discuss how your research outcomes could be utilized by practitioners, policymakers, or relevant stakeholders. This section could explore how your insights can influence decision-making, shape industry practices, or offer solutions to existing challenges. Providing concrete examples or scenarios would help readers grasp the tangible impact of your work.

Author Response

Regarding 1: The abstract was adapted to make clear the company's own ideas and innovation. This was also done in the conclusion. 

Regarding 2:  The introduction has now been adapted to more clearly highlight the research gap and clarify its own innovation. This can be found in line 69 to 95.

Regarding 3: Real-world applications and relevant stakeholders were included once in the introduction. Furthermore, these were again considered in detail together with the benefits in the discussion (lines 1076 to 1094). Concrete examples were presented in Chapter 4 to better describe the benefits. 

Round 2

Reviewer 1 Report

This paper demonstrates the necessary input data and framework conditions of the vehicles that are incorporated into the public transport planning process and the effects regarding the work steps of the planning process as well as mathematical optimization methods. The manuscript presents some significant results worthy of publication but should be revised to be more precise and accurate in the wording of the text. I want to put forward the following suggestions to improve the quality of the paper. 

(1) The novelty of the work should be explained in detail in the Abstract, Highlights, and Conclusion. 

(2) The expression of the abstract should be improved. A more detailed presentation of innovation should be conducted as well as the experimental verification. 

(3) More recent literature should be cited and analyzed, such as Improved anti-noise adaptive long short-term memory neural network modeling for the robust remaining useful life prediction of lithium-ion batteries, Improved singular filtering-Gaussian process regression-long short-term memory model for whole-life-cycle remaining capacity estimation of lithium-ion batteries adaptive to fast aging and multi-current variations, and so on. 

(4) The expression logic can be improved for your proposed method so that the innovation can be clearly understood. More expression of the mathematical analysis should be conducted to show your ideas clearly. Also, please try to highlight your proposed method and focus on it.

(5) Grammar should be checked and improved for the entire content. Please try to make every sentence to be correct and easy to be understood.

(6) More experimental result comparisons with references should be conducted for advantage discussion.

(7) Many contents are expressed for the traditional methods for this version. Please pay more attention to your ideas and innovation. Also, please describe your invention briefly for the Conclusion. 

(8) The whole structure should be improved. For this version, there is so much content expressing your experiments and basic principles, but not enough expression for your particular idea and methods.

(9) Please try to optimize the expression of your conclusions by summarizing your main extraordinary research idea and research achievement.

(10) The title should be improved with more detailed information about your particular idea.

(11) Figures should be added to express your particular idea on this research topic.

Grammar should be checked and improved for the entire content. Please try to make every sentence to be correct and easy to be understood.

Author Response

 Thank you for your comments, which I have tried to incorporate as follows:

 

Regarding 1:  I have adjusted the abstract and conclusion again to better represent the novelty of the work. 

Regarding 2:  I have adjusted the abstract again to better represent the innovation of the work. 

Regarding 3: The literature was judged not to be appropriate because it deals with the state of charge of lithium ion batteries and this work focuses on a transportation planning process.

Regarding 4:  I have revised chapter 4 again to better present the methodology and innovation. 

Regarding 5:  The text was read again and places were adjusted. Chapter 4 in particular has been restructured to make it easier to understand. 

Regarding 6:  The discussion section was adjusted again and the results were compared with the literature. Based on a comment of another reviewer, chapter 6 was supplemented. Here, the practical applicability is presented. 

Regarding 7: I have revised Chapter 4 again to better distinguish my own ideas and innovation from the literature. 

Regarding 8: I have revised the structure in chapter 4 again. 

Regarding 9: I have adjusted the conclusion again to better present my main extraordinary research idea.

Regarding 10: The title continues to be assessed as appropriate and is therefore not changed. 

Regarding 11: Three new figures have been added in Chapters 4, 5, and 6. 

 

Reviewer 3 Report

Thank you for submitting your paper again. However, it is important to  Highlight the real-world applications and potential benefits of your study's findings in separate section after the discussion section.

Author Response

Thank you for your comment. 

Regarding your comment: The real-world applications and potential benefits of the results are presented in a separate section following the discussion section. In addition, the explanations have been expanded. 

Round 3

Reviewer 1 Report

Although the authors have revised their manuscript, my sense from the reviewers' comments is that the quality of the presentation of this work is not enough. The central purpose of the investigation here is not evident in terms of novelty and presented advantages, lined with current literature. Moreover, the motivation and innovation for this work are not clear. Also, grammar should be checked and improved for the whole content.

Grammar should be checked and improved for the whole content.

Author Response

To the best of our knowledge, we have incorporated the comments you have mentioned into the revision of this paper. It is not clear to us how we can present the novelty of the paper in any other way. Therefore, I am not making any further changes now.