Abstract

This study examines the effects of on-demand mobility services on sustainability in terms of emissions and traffic volume. According to our simulations, implementing on-demand mobility services is recommendable only as a supplement to public transport in both urban and rural regions since there are positive effects in terms of CO2 emissions. However, in urban areas, there is a negative impact on the traffic volume in terms of additional vehicle kilometres since the bundled public transport demand is replaced by less bundled on-demand vehicles. In rural areas, the increase in vehicle kilometres plays less of a role due to generally low demand. The negative effects per vehicle kilometre are slightly higher in rural areas due to higher empty kilometres and lower bundling rates, but the negative effects per km2 in dense cities are much more serious. Authorities need to consider these effects according to the spatial context when implementing such services.

Highlights

  • Transportation is responsible for the highest share of emissions (14%) around the world [1], and this number is increasing faster than emissions from other sectors as income is rising and infrastructure is expanding globally.Since transportation demands are rapidly increasing, experts expect annual transportation emissions to double by the year 2050 [2]

  • The model calculations were based on the assumptions made and show tendencies regarding how different service options of on-demand collective transport services in different spatial contexts could affect the traffic volume and emissions

  • In Hypothesis 1, we assumed that the positive effect of on-demand collective transport services on sustainability in terms of traffic volume and emissions through a modal shift from private transport would exceed the negative effects from the cannibalisation of public transport and human-powered mobility

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Summary

Introduction

Transportation is responsible for the highest share of emissions (14%) around the world [1], and this number is increasing faster than emissions from other sectors (e.g., agriculture or commercial) as income is rising and infrastructure is expanding globally.Since transportation demands are rapidly increasing, experts expect annual transportation emissions to double by the year 2050 [2]. The increasing demand for mobility in modern societies is leading to several traffic problems in urban areas, such as congestion, traffic noise, and greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. Cities around the world are constantly pursuing energy conservation and climate preservation in order to avoid drastic climatic change and to ensure the continued existence of natural resources for future generations [4,5]. For this reason, [6] insist on the need to reduce GHG emissions considerably. The integration of information and communications technology in mobility systems has the potential to contribute to more sustainable transportation [9,10]. New forms of mobility are arising, helped by digital connectivity and electrification technologies, and on-demand services such as shared electric vehicles are competing with traditional mobility offerings [11]

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