Strong Sustainability in Public Transport Policies: An e-Mobility Bus Fleet Application in Sorrento Peninsula (Italy)

Armando Cartenì,Luigi Di Francesco,Clorinda Molitierno,Ilaria Henke

doi:10.3390/su12177033

Armando Cartenì, Luigi Di Francesco + Show 2 more

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https://doi.org/10.3390/su12177033

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Abstract

Sustainability can be defined as the capacity to satisfy current needs without compromising future generations. Sustainable development clashes with the transport sector because of the latter’s high fossil fuels usage, consumption of natural resources and emission of pollutant and greenhouse gases. Electric mobility seems to be one of the best options to achieve both the sustainability goals and the mobility needs. This paper critically analysed weaknesses, strengths and application fields of electric mobility, proposing a real case application of an e-mobility bus fleet in Sorrento peninsula (Italy). The aim and the originality of this research was to propose a public transport design methodology based on a “strong sustainability” policy and applied to a real case study. To be precise, the renewing of the “old” bus fleet with a diesel plug-in hybrid one charged by a photovoltaic system was proposed, aiming to both improve environmental sustainability and perform an investment return for a private operator in managing the transport service. The proposed case study is particularly suitable because the peculiar morphology of the Sorrento peninsula in Italy does not allow other types of public transport services (e.g., rail, metro). Furthermore, this area, rich in UNESCO sites, has always been an international tourist destination because of the environment and landscape. Estimation results show that the new e-mobility bus service will be able to reduce the greenhouse gases emissions up to the 23%, with a financial payback period of 10 years for a private investor.

Highlights

Sustainable development is defined by the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) as the capacity to satisfy current needs without compromising future generations [1], managing the earth’s resources and minimizing climate change’s negative impacts [2]
The analysed case study was placed in the Sorrento Peninsula (Figure 2), which is an Italian peninsula extending into the Tyrrhenian Sea, considered one of the main tourist destinations in Campania region (Italy)
This, connected to its morphology, produces heavy traffic on difficult roads. Due to these factors, it was needed to plan and design sustainable urban and suburban transport systems capable of decreasing the negative externalities caused by the movement of goods and people on the environmental, economic and social levels

Summary

Introduction

Sustainable development is defined by the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) as the capacity to satisfy current needs without compromising future generations [1], managing the earth’s resources and minimizing climate change’s negative impacts [2]. This concept is so important that, in 2015, the United Nations endorsed the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), reaffirming the World Community commitment to Sustainable Development [3]. As highlighted by Henke et al [4] a transport infrastructure to ensure sustainable development should be: (i) environmentally sustainable (e.g., produce benefits on greenhouse gas emission, pollutant emission and noise emission [5]); (ii) socially sustainable, improving quality of life [6] and social equity [7] and (iii) economically viable [8]

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