Search Results (180)

Guidance information plays an important role in influencing metro passengers’ travel choices and enhancing their travel experience during unplanned service disruptions. However, limited research has examined passengers’ behavioral responses to personalized guidance information in such contexts. This study aims to fill the gap and explore the impact of personalized guidance information on passengers’ travel choice behavior during unplanned metro service disruptions. First, we reconstruct the decision-making process of metro passengers under disruption scenarios and design personalized guidance strategies, followed by a stated preference survey to collect preference data. Using data from Beijing, China, a hybrid utility–regret model is developed to analyze how the content and frequency of personalized guidance information affect passengers’ travel choice preferences. The results show that recommended plans with explanatory information are more likely to be adopted, particularly when explanations are framed from the passenger’s perspective. A single notification serves as a timely reminder, whereas overly frequent messages may trigger annoyance and reduce effectiveness. These findings provide practical implications for the design of personalized guidance strategies, thereby mitigating the impacts of metro service disruptions. Full article

Passenger heterogeneity in loyalty fundamentally influences their choice behaviors, and is pivotal to railway differentiated pricing. Thus, travelers are categorized into loyal passengers and non-loyal passengers. According to the generalized cost minimization, we identify a train priority sequence reflecting consistent preferences of loyal passengers and establish a train selection probability model based on stochastic preferences of non-loyal passengers. Then, a hybrid choice model resulting from the distinct decision-making processes of these two passenger categories is formulated. A nonlinear pricing optimization model in the scenario of multiple train categories with multiple trains is established. An improved Particle Swarm Optimization algorithm based on the Sampling Fitness Strategy (SFS-PSO) is proposed to improve the solution accuracy. The SFS-PSO enhances the search diversity for the personal historical best positions and global best position without expanding the size of the particle swarm as much as possible. The case analysis demonstrates that the proposed pricing optimization approach can increase the expected revenue by 1.7%, validating the rationality of considering the hybrid choice behavior of passenger loyalty heterogeneity for the railway pricing optimization problem. Meanwhile, the case results highlighted the significant impact of the proportion of loyal passengers on revenue improvement. Full article

Rapid progress in sustainable and intelligent transportation has intensified interest in smart airport initiatives, driven by the need to support environmentally responsible and technology-enabled aviation development. As complex sociotechnical subsystems of smart aviation, smart airports integrate advanced digital, operational, and organizational technologies to enhance efficiency, resilience, and passenger experience. With increasing emphasis on such transformations, multiple strategic development plans have emerged, each with distinct priorities and implementation pathways, which necessitates a rigorous and transparent evaluation mechanism to support informed decision-making under uncertainty. This study proposes an integrated spherical fuzzy multi-criteria decision-making (MCDM) framework for assessing and ranking smart airport development plans. Subjective expert judgments are modeled using spherical fuzzy sets, allowing for the simultaneous consideration of positive, neutral, and negative membership degrees to better capture linguistic and ambiguous information. Expert importance is determined through a hybrid weighting scheme that combines a social trust network model with an entropy-based objective measure, thereby reflecting both relational credibility and informational contribution. Criterion weights are computed through an integrated approach that merges criteria importance through the inter-criteria correlation (CRITIC) method with the stepwise weight assessment ratio analysis (SWARA) method, balancing data-driven structure and expert strategic preferences. The weighted evaluations are aggregated using a spherical fuzzy extension of the combined compromise solution (CoCoSo) method to obtain the final rankings. A case study involving smart airport development planning in China is conducted to illustrate the applicability of the proposed approach. Sensitivity, ablation, and comparative analyses demonstrate that the framework yields stable, discriminative, and interpretable rankings. The results confirm that the proposed method provides a reliable and practical decision support tool for smart airport development and can be adapted to other smart transportation planning contexts. Full article

Demand-responsive transit (DRT) is an innovative public transportation model that dynamically adjusts routes based on passengers’ specific demands. While existing studies offer insights into routing, scheduling, and network design, they remain fragmented, with limited integration of user behavior, policy relevance, and sustainability. To address these gaps, this paper develops a scenario-based evaluation framework that synthesizes bibliometric evidence, operational conditions, modeling approaches, and evaluated outcomes. Using CiteSpace, we conducted keyword co-occurrence and clustering analysis. Thematic clusters such as “routing and scheduling,” “network design,” “stated preference,” “public transport,” and “demand-responsive transit” were mapped to a three-tier analytical structure. Scenarios integrate economic, environmental, and social dimensions, enabling comparative insights across urban, rural, and intercity scenarios. The scenario-based approach offers two key advantages: (1) it captures heterogeneity across operational environments, ensuring that evaluation frameworks are not overly generalized. Research shows that urban scenarios emphasize scheduling precision, rural pilots face cost-efficiency but enhance resilience, and intercity services depend on multimodal synchronization. (2) It facilitates synthesis by linking technical models with real-world outcomes, enhancing policy relevance. This study contributes to sustainable transport research by providing a coherent, empirically validated, and conceptually integrated framework for evaluating DRT systems. Full article

Symmetry in vehicle body morphology is a crucial factor for achieving visual sensory balance in users, and it also serves as an important method for enhancing the efficiency of vehicle body research and development. This study proposes an AHP-SD-TOPSIS-AIGC integrated morphological design method to address multi-factorial design complexities in new energy commercial vehicle body styling under emotion-driven frameworks. Through literature retrieval and survey analysis, a Kansei evaluation system was constructed, with hierarchical design indicators established via Analytic Hierarchy Process (AHP) and weights determined through consistency matrices. Technique for Order Preference by Similarity to Ideal Solution (TOPSIS) identified optimal style forms exhibiting high emotional intention coupling, while edge detection algorithms extracted symmetrical spline features for body contour modeling. Artificial Intelligence Generated Content (AIGC) tools subsequently generated innovative solutions, validated through truck design applications to confirm method rationality and effectiveness. The results of the study show that the styling elements are accurately matched to user preferences and can identify target improvement points, and that the method can effectively achieve the output of the proposal for the design of commercial vehicle body morphology and is also applicable to passenger car-type vehicles to achieve the adaptation of multi-intentional emotional design. Full article

Airport environment often exposes passengers to stress, negatively impacting health and wellbeing. This study links plant visibility to passenger stress in Jakarta Terminal 3, applying the Stimulus-Organism-Response model to address a gap in airport research. The mixed methods included a combination of questionnaires (N = 104) and field observations. Statistical and behavioural analyses triangulated the findings. Respondents exhibit positive attitudes towards plants: 78% prefer lush images and 88% agree that seeing plants reduces stress. At the stimulus stage, awareness is high (86%), but visibility varies by zone. Stress levels peak at baggage claim (49%) and other processing areas. At the organism level, visibility is linked to stress only at arrival, with results suggesting that passengers who did not see plants are 4.57 times more likely to have high stress. At the response stage, results suggest that stress is not associated with dwell time, activities, or plant demand. However, those who see plants are 2.21 times more likely to request planting. The findings suggest prioritising plant visibility over volume, highlighting the need for broader scope and diverse data types in future research to yield more robust conclusions. Full article

Traditional multimodal public transportation recommenders often overlook in-vehicle crowding, a critical factor that causes passenger discomfort and leads to an inefficient distribution of people across the network that affects its reliability. To address this, we propose a proof of concept for a novel framework that directly integrates crowding into its optimization process, balancing it with user preferences such as travel habits, travel time, and line changes. Built on the Behavior-Enabled IoT (BeT) paradigm, our system is designed to manage the crucial QoE and QoS trade-off inherent in smart mobility. We validate our balanced strategy using real-world data from Lyon, comparing it against two baselines: a QoE-driven model that prioritizes user habits and a QoS-driven model that focuses solely on network efficiency. Our Wilcoxon-based statistical analysis demonstrates that a balanced strategy is the most effective approach for substantially mitigating public transit crowding. Our Wilcoxon-based statistical analysis demonstrates that a balanced strategy is the most effective approach for mitigating public transit crowding, since it leads to a substantial decrease in crowding. Despite a potential increase in travel times, our solution respects user habits and avoids excessive transfers, providing significant operational improvements without compromising passenger convenience. Full article

Uneven distribution of passenger flows across metro entrances/exits is prevalent. Previous studies primarily examined built-environment factors influencing established exit-level flow disparities from an objective perspective. This study, however, incorporates passengers’ subjective preferences to provide a more comprehensive understanding of the environment–behavior mechanisms shaping entrance/exit choice. A visual stated preference method was employed to construct choice scenarios with 12 environmental attributes grouped into two complementary dimensions of path accessibility and environmental quality. Multinomial logit models were then applied to estimate passengers’ entrance/exit choice preferences, and the results informed a two-dimensional exit-level evaluation framework, demonstrated through a case study of Xujiahui Station in Shanghai. Compared with empirical studies, this study employs a discrete choice experiment, which circumvents the modeling challenges posed by the limited number of entrances/exits at individual stations and systematically integrates a range of station-internal and urban environmental attributes into a unified utility-based framework to evaluate their contributions. The results reveal the relative importance of various environmental attributes, together with their varying levels, in shaping passengers’ entrance/exit choices and indicate that path accessibility exerts a stronger influence on decision-making than environmental quality. The proposed exit-level evaluation framework also serves as a practical tool for assessing resource allocation status at individual station areas, providing a foundation for policy formulation to support more human-centered, equitable, and fine-grained station-area governance. Full article

The growing demand for air connectivity, coupled with the forecasted increase in passengers by 2040, implies an exigency in the aviation sector to adopt sustainable approaches for net zero emission by 2050. Sustainable Aviation Fuel (SAF) is currently the most promising short-term solution; however, ensuring its overall sustainability depends on reducing the life cycle carbon footprints. A key challenge prevails in hydrogen usage as a reactant for the approved ASTM routes of SAF. The processing, conversion and refinement of feed entailing hydrodeoxygenation (HDO), decarboxylation, hydrogenation, isomerisation and hydrocracking requires substantial hydrogen input. This hydrogen is sourced either in situ or ex situ, with the supply chain encompassing renewables or non-renewables origins. Addressing this hydrogen usage and recognising the emission implications thereof has therefore become a novel research priority. Aside from the preferred adoption of renewable water electrolysis to generate hydrogen, other promising pathways encompass hydrothermal gasification, biomass gasification (with or without carbon capture) and biomethane with steam methane reforming (with or without carbon capture) owing to the lower greenhouse emissions, the convincing status of the technology readiness level and the lower acidification potential. Equally imperative are measures for reducing hydrogen demand in SAF pathways. Strategies involve identifying the appropriate catalyst (monometallic and bimetallic sulphide catalyst), increasing the catalyst life in the deoxygenation process, deploying low-cost iso-propanol (hydrogen donor), developing the aerobic fermentation of sugar to 1,4 dimethyl cyclooctane with the intermediate formation of isoprene and advancing aqueous phase reforming or single-stage hydro processing. Other supportive alternatives include implementing the catalytic and co-pyrolysis of waste oil with solid feedstocks and selecting highly saturated feedstock. Thus, future progress demands coordinated innovation and research endeavours to bolster the seamless integration of the cutting-edge hydrogen production processes with the SAF infrastructure. Rigorous techno-economic and life cycle assessments, alongside technological breakthroughs and biomass characterisation, are indispensable for ensuring scalability and sustainability. Full article

Background: Urban freight transport is essential for the functioning of cities. The COVID-19 pandemic accelerated the growth of e-commerce, creating new challenges for courier services. While consumer satisfaction has been extensively studied, little attention has been paid to courier drivers’ own perceptions and preferences. This study aims to fill that gap. Methods: A questionnaire survey was conducted among 139 drivers employed in eight courier companies in Serbia. Data were analyzed using parametric statistical methods (Independent Samples T-Test, Paired-Samples T-Test, and One-way ANOVA), with additional post hoc tests to explore group differences. Results: Statistically significant differences were observed across demographic, operational, and safety-related factors (gender, age, residence, occupation, license ownership, delivery area, and type of goods). A strong preference emerged for passenger vehicles as the safest mode of delivery, highlighting a misalignment between current operational practices and drivers’ safety perceptions. Conclusions: The findings emphasize the importance of tailoring delivery strategies to demographic and operational contexts. Practical recommendations include improving transport safety, optimizing delivery zones, and addressing driver satisfaction as a determinant of service quality. The study contributes new insights into last-mile delivery by focusing on the perspectives of courier drivers rather than consumers. Full article

This paper proposes a methodology for selecting and converting a suitable mass-produced car with an internal combustion engine into an electric car for operation mainly in the city. For sufficient range and economical operation, a compact car model with low mass and low frontal aerodynamic resistance was chosen. For good traction on the drive wheels and space for passengers and luggage, a car with a rear-mounted engine driving the rear wheels is preferred. Since extra-urban driving is sometimes required, an induction motor with the necessary power reserve was selected. The conversion offers alternative batteries—budget lead–acid batteries and lithium–iron–phosphate batteries for increased range. Full article

Ride-pooling (RP) services, in which passengers with similar destinations share a ride, offer considerable potential for enhancing urban mobility by bridging gaps in public transportation (PT) networks and providing a convenient alternative to private car use. For the effective design and operation of such services, a detailed understanding of user preferences and usage patterns is essential. This study investigates differences in RP preferences and usage between day and night (with nighttime defined as 10:00 p.m. to 5:00 a.m.), drawing on both a stated choice experiment (SCE) and revealed preference data collected in Mannheim, Germany. The focus lies on the local RP service fips, which is integrated into the PT system. The SCE, conducted in 2024 with 566 participants, was analyzed using a nested logit model. The analysis of the SCE reveals that nighttime preferences for RP are characterized by reduced sensitivity to travel time and cost, creating an opportunity for RP operators to optimize stop network designs during nighttime hours by increasing pooling rates. In addition, it indicates a greater likelihood of private car usage at night, especially among women, likely due to safety concerns and limited PT availability. The analysis of revealed preference data provides a complementary perspective. It shows that the RP nighttime service primarily attracts younger users, while many respondents report not being active on weekend nights. However, the combination of low public awareness and limited service availability, evidenced by rejected booking requests, suggests that existing demand is not being fully captured. This implies that low usage is not merely the result of low demand, but also of structural barriers on both the supply and information side. Overcoming these barriers through targeted information campaigns and expansion of nighttime service capacity could substantially enhance sustainable urban travel options during nighttime. Full article

A public transportation system consists of complex processes and requires comprehensive planning activities for a city when dealing with the travel behavior decisions of passengers. Travel behavior decisions are important in selecting suitable transportation alternatives for passengers. In the literature, little attention has been paid to prioritizing the criteria and ranking the alternatives for assessing sustainable and traditional public transportation modes when considering the travel behavior decisions of passengers. In this paper, a five-phased novel decision analysis framework, including Analytic Hierarchy Process (AHP), Technique for Order of Preference by Similarity to Ideal Solution (TOPSIS), and VIekriterijumsko KOmpromisno Rangiranje (VIKOR) techniques, is proposed to evaluate the alternatives. In addition, to the best of our knowledge, the novel decision-making framework in this paper has not been employed before to assess sustainable transportation alternatives dealing with the travel behavior decisions of passengers. Next, the thirteen criteria are specified, including economics, safety, travel quality, and environmental and health aspects, to analyze the travel behavior decisions of passengers with regard to the experts’ notions, published reports, and papers. Then, the seven public transportation alternatives are determined, including sustainable and traditional transportation modes. A case study was carried out in Istanbul, Türkiye. Based on the results, service frequency, the vehicle type and its mechanism, and ease of accessibility were found to be the top three significant criteria that affect travel behavior decisions. Furthermore, metro, Marmaray, and metrobus are the top three public transportation alternatives. In addition, the results were verified. Moreover, managerial and theoretical recommendations are provided to policymakers. Lastly, sustainable development goals 11.2 and 11.b can be achieved by designing an accessible, affordable, environmentally friendly, safe, and sustainable public transportation system when analyzing the travel behavior decisions of passengers. Full article

Pooled ridesharing offers on-demand, one-way, cost-effective transportation for passengers traveling in similar directions via a shared vehicle ride with others they do not know. Despite its potential benefits, the adoption of pooled rideshare remains low in the United States. This exploratory study aims to evaluate potential service improvements and features that may increase users’ willingness to adopt the service. The study analyzed transportation behaviors, rideshare preferences, and willingness to adopt pooled rideshare services among 8296 U.S. participants in 2025, building on findings from a 2021 nationwide survey of 5385 U.S. participants. The study incorporated 77 actionable items developed from the results of the 2021 survey to assess whether addressing specific user-generated topics such as safety, reliability, convenience, and privacy can improve pooled rideshare use. A side-by-side comparison of the 2021 and 2025 data revealed shifts in transportation behavior, with personal rideshare usage increasing from 22% to 28%, public transportation from 21% to 27%, and pooled rideshare from 6% to 8%, while personal vehicle (79%) use remained dominant. Participants rated features such as driver verification (94%), vehicle information (93%), peak time reliability (93%), and saving time and money (92–93%) as most important for improving rideshare services. A pre-to-post analysis of willingness to use pooled rideshare utilizing the actionable items as per respondents’ preferences showed improvement: “definitely will” increased from 15.9% to 20.1% and “probably will” rose from 35.6% to 47.7%. These results suggest that well-targeted service improvements may meaningfully enhance pooled rideshare acceptance. This study offers practical guidance for Transportation Network Companies (TNCs) and policymakers aiming to improve pooled rideshare as well as potential future research opportunities. Full article

Background: The rapid rise of e-commerce has intensified last-mile logistics challenges, fueling the need for sustainable, efficient solutions. Parcel locker crowdshipping systems, integrated with public transport networks, show promise in reducing congestion, emissions, and delivery costs. However, operational and physical constraints (e.g., crowded stations) and liability complexities remain significant barriers to broad adoption. This study investigates the demographic and operational factors that influence the adoption and scalability of these systems. Methods: A mixed-methods design was employed, incorporating survey data from 368 participants alongside insights from 20 semi-structured interviews. Quantitative analysis identified demographic trends and operational preferences, while thematic analysis offered in-depth contextual understanding. Results: Younger adults (18–34), particularly gig-experienced males, emerged as the most engaged demographic. Females and older individuals showed meaningful potential if safety and flexibility concerns were addressed. System efficiency depended on locating parcel lockers within 1 km of major origins and destinations, focusing on moderate parcel weights (3–5 kg), and offering incentives for minor route deviations. Interviews emphasized ensuring that lockers avoid station congestion, clearly defining insurance/liability protocols, and allowing task refusals during peak passenger hours. Conclusions: By leveraging public transport infrastructure, parcel locker crowdshipping requires robust policy frameworks, strategic station-space allocation, and transparent incentives to enhance feasibility. Full article