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Sustainability
Volume 18
Issue 2
10.3390/su18020910
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Article

System Dynamics Simulation of Energy Transitions in Buses and Intermediate Public Transport for Urban Sustainability: A Case Study of Chennai City

by
Rathiga Jeganathan
* and
Dilibabu Ramalingam
*
Department of Industrial Engineering, CEG Campus, Anna University, Chennai 600025, Tamil Nadu, India
*
Authors to whom correspondence should be addressed.
Sustainability 2026, 18(2), 910; https://doi.org/10.3390/su18020910
Submission received: 16 October 2025 / Revised: 27 December 2025 / Accepted: 31 December 2025 / Published: 15 January 2026
Versions Notes

Abstract

Chennai’s transport sector is undergoing a structural transition as the city seeks to accommodate rapidly growing travel demand while reducing energy consumption and emissions. This study develops a city-scale system dynamics model using STELLA to simulate long-term transitions in bus and Intermediate Public Transport (IPT) systems over the period 2011–2038. Four policy scenarios—Do Minimum, Partial, Desirable, and Ideal—are evaluated to examine how fleet expansion, propulsion technology substitution, and service restructuring influence urban transport energy sustainability. The model integrates demographic growth, service-level fleet benchmarks, and multiple propulsion pathways, including diesel, CNG, LPG, bio-CNG, hydrogen, and battery- and solar-electric technologies.
Keywords: transport energy transition; system dynamics; bus electrification; intermediate public transport; STELLA; Chennai; sustainable mobility transport energy transition; system dynamics; bus electrification; intermediate public transport; STELLA; Chennai; sustainable mobility

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MDPI and ACS Style

Jeganathan, R.; Ramalingam, D. System Dynamics Simulation of Energy Transitions in Buses and Intermediate Public Transport for Urban Sustainability: A Case Study of Chennai City. Sustainability 2026, 18, 910. https://doi.org/10.3390/su18020910

AMA Style

Jeganathan R, Ramalingam D. System Dynamics Simulation of Energy Transitions in Buses and Intermediate Public Transport for Urban Sustainability: A Case Study of Chennai City. Sustainability. 2026; 18(2):910. https://doi.org/10.3390/su18020910

Chicago/Turabian Style

Jeganathan, Rathiga, and Dilibabu Ramalingam. 2026. "System Dynamics Simulation of Energy Transitions in Buses and Intermediate Public Transport for Urban Sustainability: A Case Study of Chennai City" Sustainability 18, no. 2: 910. https://doi.org/10.3390/su18020910

APA Style

Jeganathan, R., & Ramalingam, D. (2026). System Dynamics Simulation of Energy Transitions in Buses and Intermediate Public Transport for Urban Sustainability: A Case Study of Chennai City. Sustainability, 18(2), 910. https://doi.org/10.3390/su18020910

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