Abstract
Traditionally, the process used by public transportation entities to determine the acquisition strategy for new vehicle asset is based upon a broad range of criteria. Vehicle cost has been cited as one of the more critical factors which decision makers consider. It is currently a common practice to consider other factors (life-cycle cost, fuel efficiency, vehicle reliability, environmental effects, etc.) that contribute to a more comprehensive approach. This study investigates the next generation of advancements in decision making tools in the area of the application of methods to quantify and manage uncertainty. In particular, the uncertainty comes from the public policy arena where future policy and regulations are not always based upon logical and predictable processes. The fleet decision making process in most governmental agencies is a very complex and interdependent activity. There are always competing forces and agendas within the view of the decision maker. Rarely is the decision maker a single person although, within the transit environment, there is often one person charged with the responsibility of fleet management. The focus of this research examines the decision making of the general transit agency community via the development of an expert systems prototype tool. A computer-based prototype system is developed which provide an expert knowledge-based recommendation, based upon variable user inputs. The results shown in this study show that a decision making tool for the management of transit system alternate fuel vehicle assets can be modeled and tested. The direct users of this research are the transit agency administrations. The results can be used by the management teams as a reliable input to inform their urban transit buses expansion decision making process.
Highlights
Energy is an important commodity in the global and US economy
The results shown in this study show that a decision making tool for the management of transit system alternate fuel vehicle assets can be modeled and tested
Goods and services that are produced, sold and/or operated have a quantifiable energy load which must be considered in the broad context of energy Life Cycle Analysis (LCA)
Summary
Energy is an important commodity in the global and US economy. All products, goods and services that are produced, sold and/or operated have a quantifiable energy load which must be considered in the broad context of energy Life Cycle Analysis (LCA). The domestic and global society has become very energy dependent In this sense, energy is the life blood which fuels the economies and the very progression of the society. Energy is the life blood which fuels the economies and the very progression of the society This constant need for an ever-increasing energy availability has caused most societies to reimage their energy strategies for the future. In the U.S, the foreign percentage of the petroleum consumption has been as high as 66 percent This level of dependence on foreign energy resources was unsustainable and further caused significant national security exposures for the U.S This is largely due to the fact that this situation places the future of the U.S energy security under the control of another global state. The complexity inherent in this strategy is due to the many factors of energy availability which must be addressed from domestic fuel exploration to consumer energy conservation and utilization
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