Transport Service Providers Research Articles

Selecting a transport and forwarding company for meeting a customer’s needs when organizing international road cargo transportation

The object of this study is the process of planning the work of a manufacturing enterprise that needs transport and forwarding services when exporting goods to counterparties in different countries of the world. The problem being solved is predetermined by the need to devise recommendations for choosing a transport and forwarding company when serving an individual customer, based on its individual needs and conditions of cooperation. A simulation model for the selection of a transport and forwarding company was constructed and implemented to meet the customer’s needs when exporting goods, applying the GPSS World simulation automation package. The model provides for the optimization of the choice of a transport and forwarding company for servicing counterparties based on the assessment of their activity indicators over previous periods of cooperation. When building the model, the types of commercial conditions of the exporter’s cooperation with the transport and forwarding company, indicators of the quality assessment of the basic level of service and the duration of service at all stages of the foreign trade operation were taken into account. The application of the constructed model in practice will enable exporters and importers to choose a transport and forwarding company depending on the individual needs of customers in the delivery of goods. The simulation results reflect the performance indicators of the provision of transport and forwarding services by various specialized enterprises. This will make it possible to involve in the transport and forwarding service of a separate counterparty an organization that will meet all the requirements of goods buyer in accordance with the terms of the international economic contract. At the same time, the duration of choosing and agreeing the terms of cooperation could be reduced by 12–15 % while the efficiency of transport and forwarding services would increase by 13–16 %

Charging infrastructure assessment for shared autonomous electric vehicles in 374 small and medium-sized urban areas: An agent-based simulation approach

This research examines the use of Shared Autonomous Electric Vehicles (SAEVs) in 374 U.S. small and medium-sized urban areas, focusing on fleet and infrastructure needs through agent-based simulations. It assesses metrics such as fleet size, trips per vehicle, and charging station requirements, considering two charger types: Level 2 and Level 3. The findings show significant spatial differences in SAEV operations and infrastructure across these cities. Statistical analysis links these variations to regional road networks and travel patterns. The study finds Level 3 chargers more efficient, requiring fewer stations and enabling more trips per vehicle compared to Level 2 chargers. Furthermore, Level 3 chargers exhibit a greater number of trips per SAEV and a higher ratio of vehicles to charging stations. These findings highlight the significance of considering charging infrastructure characteristics to optimize SAEV fleet performance and promote sustainable transportation systems in urban areas. This study significantly contributes by identifying the spatial variation and correlates of the SAEVs' operational and charging infrastructural performance. Policymakers, urban planners, and transportation service providers can leverage these insights to design and implement effective charging infrastructure for SAEV fleets, thereby advancing the transition to cleaner and more efficient mobility solutions.

Influence of Convenience, Usability, Price, and Promotion on Reuse Intentions: Muslim Awareness Moderation

Online transportation has transformed the transport industry by offering practical and innovative solutions embraced by the public. This study evaluates the impact of ease of use, usefulness, price, and online promotion on the intention to reuse online transportation services, with Muslim consumer awareness as a moderating variable. Focusing on Grab users in Jakarta, the research uses a quantitative approach with 110 respondents from South and Central Jakarta, analyzed using Warp PLS. The results show that ease of use, usefulness, and online promotion positively and significantly affect reuse intention, while price has a negative and significant impact. Muslim consumer awareness moderates the effects of ease of use, usefulness, and online promotion on reuse intention but does not moderate the effect of price. These insights aid online transportation service providers in crafting effective marketing strategies for Muslim consumers in Jakarta.

Service failure is bound to happen: Unraveling the impact of dissatisfaction, complaint behavior and re-travel intention in travel and tourism industry

Service failure is bound to happen, but dissatisfaction has always been undermined by scholars previously. The present study investigates dissatisfaction factors in travel decision-making leading towards re-travel intention with the help of the expectancy disconfirmation theory (EDT) model. Moreover, complaint behavior mediates the relationship between dissatisfaction and re-travel intention concerning the factors involved in it. For the findings, 434 real-time responses were collected through an offline survey following the lifetime value (LTV) approach. Kaiser-Meyer-Olkin (KMO) and Bartlett's tests were conducted to test the sphericity of the variables one by one. Furthermore, structural equation modeling (SEM) was implied to test the measurement and structural models. All the hypotheses supported and accepted the proposed research questions. The findings reveal that the dissatisfaction factors, with their interaction terms (transaction-based and experience-based), help study the variable dissatisfaction and its multifaceted concept in travel and tourism literature. Moreover, complaint behavior is identified as a key mediating factor in the relationship between dissatisfaction and re-travel intention, suggesting that commuters' response to dissatisfaction, including complaints, shapes their future re-travel intentions. The theoretical implications of the study are substantial, as it advances our understanding of commuter behavior in the context of public transport travel and tourism. Practically, the findings offer actionable insights for public transport authorities and service providers. Understanding the specific dissatisfaction factors influencing re-travel intention allows for targeted interventions to improve service quality and customer experience. Recognizing the importance of effective complaint management systems can help organizations better address customer grievances and mitigate the negative effects of dissatisfaction on re-travel intention.

Kepuasan dan Kepercayaan Pelanggan sebagai Faktor Penentu Loyalitas pada Layanan Transportasi Online Grab di Kota Medan

This study aims to examine the role of customer satisfaction and trust as determinants of loyalty in Grab online transportation services in Medan City. The research method used is a qualitative approach with a survey method. Data collection was carried out through the distribution of online questionnaires to 60 respondents selected using purposive sampling technique. The data were analyzed descriptively using a Likert scale. The results showed that customer satisfaction, which includes service quality, driving experience, driver professionalism, vehicle cleanliness, and complaint handling, was rated quite well by the respondents. Customer trust in Grab as a safe, transparent, and reliable transportation choice has also proven to be an important factor in building loyalty. However, customer loyalty to Grab is not very strong, given the intense competition in the online transportation industry. The implication is that Grab and similar companies need to continue improving service quality, ensuring customer safety and comfort, responding to complaints effectively, and implementing effective marketing strategies to retain customers. This research provides valuable insights for online transportation service providers in their efforts to enhance customer satisfaction, trust, and loyalty amidst dynamic market competition.

Service Quality Assessment of Sharedautorickshaws Using Subsets-Based Confirmatory Factor Analysis

Abstract Shared mobility is changing urban transportation in India by providing transportation services without the need for ownership. Sharedautorickshaws (also called as share-autos) are a popular mode of shared mobility in the country. These informal vehicles can hold six to ten passengers and operate on a hail-to-board basis. It is important to evaluate the service quality of share-autos as they gain popularity. While research on passenger satisfaction with shared mobility services exists, studies on service quality perception related to share-autos are limited. To address this research gap, a survey was conducted with 581 shareauto users in India. The study created a Confirmatory Factor Analysisbased model with five latent variables and 22 manifest variables. The results revealed that 18 variables significantly influenced service quality. Variables that had weaker factor loading in the overall analysis were found more important when analysed for different subsets of the sample population. For instance, female-only or low-income-group respondents may prioritize different factors than the overall sample, and the ranking of factor loading changes across the subsets. The study shows that subset-based analysis can provide a more nuanced understanding of the passenger experience in share-autos, identifying potential opportunities to improve the quality of these services.

The role of municipal ownership for urban net-zero path creation

Particularly within recent years, the rising number of city actors worldwide declaring climate emergencies and pledging commitments to carbon neutrality has sparked a spatial turn in broader sustainable transition thinking, noting the importance of the local level for governing sustainable transitions. Using a Geographical Political Economy approach, this paper critically engages with path creation theory and sustainable transitions literature to explore the potential of urban net-zero carbon transitions in a multi-scalar governance framework. The main argument is that municipal ownership across sectors has a fundamental role in sustainable transitions at the city level. This paper makes a distinct conceptual contribution to sustainable transitions literature by drawing on path creation theory to illustrate how municipal ownership is a central tenet of path creation by bringing together local actors and enabling political capacity and agency to control and strategize integrated sustainable urban pathways. Using the transport and energy sectors in Nottingham in the UK, it applies the Path Creation Framework in an urban setting to illustrate that municipal ownership stimulates a positive path creation through three main arguments. First, municipal ownership enables a positive embeddedness and historical legacy in the provision of sustainable urban energy and transport services; second, it facilitates the establishment of skills and expertise that positively reinforces urban political capacity for the pursuit of urban sustainability; and third, it stimulates the creation of innovative urban projects for sustainable and equitable pathways.

Round-trip hub location problem

In this paper, we introduce a novel network design for the Hub Location Problem, inspired by the round-trip structure commonly used by transport service providers. Our design integrates spoke nodes assigned to a central hub node, creating round-trips where the hub node serves as the starting point, visits all assigned spoke nodes, and returns to the hub. To enhance transportation services and provide additional redundancy, we introduce a new type of nodes called runaway nodes to the network. The motivation for this research arises from two real-life cases encountered during consultancy projects, underscoring the necessity for an optimized network design in transportation services. To address the proposed problem, we introduce a mixed-integer linear programming (MIP) mathematical model. However, due to the problem's complexity, the feasibility of the MIP model is limited to small-scale instances. To tackle medium and large-scale instances, we introduce two hyper-heuristic approaches based on reinforcement learning. These hyper-heuristic approaches harness the power of reinforcement learning to guide the selection of low-level heuristics and improve solution quality. We conduct extensive computational experiments to evaluate the efficiency and effectiveness of the proposed approaches. The results of our experiments affirm the efficiency of the proposed hyper-heuristic approaches, showcasing their ability to discover high-quality solutions for the Hub Location Problem.

Forecasting technique of transport need for population of cities with high tourist potential during peak seasons

Introduction. One of the key problems in ensuring the quality of recreation for the population is the provision of transport services that meet the transport needs of vacationers. The study of the transport needs of the population of resort cities during the holiday season is caused by the need to assess changing passenger flows as a result of a multiple increase due to vacationers in accordance with their place of attraction and possible adjustments to the routes of regular passenger transportation by road. This determines the relevance of the topic of this article. The purpose of the article is to develop a methodology for determining the needs for transport services for the population and vacationers in cities with high resort potential during the busiest periods, which makes it possible to design transportation processes along regular routes.Materials and methods. General scientific methods of analysis and synthesis, the provisions of probability theory and mathematical statistics, mathematical modeling, as well as the provisions of the technology of transport processes were used as the main research methods. The work carried out the zoning of the city into transport areas with a center of gravity at stopping points of urban passenger transport. Calculations of potential transport needs were carried out on the basis of a survey of vacationers and field observations, which were processed using standard Microsoft Excel and Statistika software.Results. The main result of the work is a methodology for determining the potential transport needs of the population and vacationers in cities with high tourism potential for the development and adjustment of routes for regular passenger transportation by road during the holiday season, which represents the scientific novelty of the research. The technique contains a mathematical model and algorithm.Discussion and conclusion. The use of this methodology will enable the organizer of transportation in resort cities to optimize the organization of regular passenger transportation by road during peak seasons.

Addressing Disparities in Vision Health and Eye Care in the US

Health disparities are a prevalent issue that continues to affect health outcomes. In ophthalmology, these disparities affect eye care utilization increasing the burden of eye care disorders and vision impairment/loss. Various factors contribute to disparities in vision care. They include age, gender, socioeconomic status, geographic location, and race and ethnicity. These factors make it difficult for people affected by eye conditions to access care. Addressing these disparities can help to increase eye care utilization and improve patient outcomes. Some measures that can address these disparities and increase utilization are providing patient education, increasing insurance coverage, implementing community-based eye care programs, using teleophthalmology, providing transport services, providing reminder alerts, and creating community centres that are federally funded among others. This review seeks to identify measures that can help to address disparities in vision and eye care in the US. The review also identifies drivers of health disparities in vision health and how they affect the ability to access care.

Strategic disclosure of carrier’s carbon emission reduction information by competitive shippers in marine supply chains

The growing consumers’ environmental consciousness has driven competitive shippers (cargo owners) to voluntarily disclose carbon emission reduction (CER) information about their carriers (transportation service providers), aiming to establish a low-carbon image and enhance their competitiveness. Unfortunately, due to the low transparency in marine supply chains, profit-driven shippers are inclined to selectively disclose CER information. To address this, the independent audit by Environmental Non-Governmental Organizations (ENGOs) can be an effective mechanism. An analytical model is proposed to examine competitive shippers’ equilibrium information disclosure strategies, considering the asymmetry of CER information and the ENGOs’ adult. Our findings reveal the potential for an asymmetric equilibrium, where only one shipper chooses to disclose information while the other does not. We also identify two types of Prisoner’s dilemma situations when the acquiring information cost is moderate, and which dilemma can arise depending on the probability of an ENGO audit. Specifically, an increase in the probability of ENGO audits may backfire, leading shippers to reduce their CER investments and exacerbate the Prisoner’s dilemma. Our findings offer practical implications for shippers and policymakers in promoting environmental sustainability across the industry, particularly in the face of intense competition and the lack of accessible CER information.

Land Use, Built-Up, and Vegetation Index in North Halmahera Regency through Spatio-Temporal Analysis

Monitoring land use, buildings, and vegetation index of ecotourism areas in North Halmahera can support planning space utilization in urban areas for tourist areas as the concept of land use management and urban planning. This study offers ideas for analyzing the distribution of buildings, vegetation index, and land use in the mangrove ecotourism area of North Halmahera Regency using the spatio-temporal analysis method. The spatio-temporal analysis method comprises several stages: data selection, preprocessing, data integration, spatial analysis, temporal analysis, spatio-temporal analysis, data visualization, interpretation and understanding, and data visualization. The results of this study show that changes in the livelihood strategy of local people, from farmers and fishermen to traders, also affect land use patterns, from agricultural activities to economic activities, which triggers an increase in the number of buildings for production activities to product distribution. The implications of these findings on ecotourism development programs and policies and infrastructure development in the North Halmahera Regency are to consider community livelihoods and space or land use behavior in ecotourism areas based on vegetation, soil, and building index values. Thus, the intensification of building distribution and changes in vegetation index values from 2013-2023 reflect changes in people's livelihood strategies from agrarian activities to trade and from fishermen's activities to tourism transportation service providers.

REGULATORY AND LEGAL SUPPORT OF THE FUNCTIONING OF PUBLIC TRANSPORT AND PROVISION OF TRANSPORT SERVICES TO THE POPULATION OF CITIES IN THE CONDITIONS OF POST-WAR RECONSTRUCTION

The article substantiates the need for regulatory support for solving problems with the functioning of public transport, as well as for the provision of transport services in cities of Ukraine in the conditions of post-war reconstruction. It is noted that one of the priority areas of the reconstruction plan is transport infrastructure. It is noted that the peculiarity of urban transport is that it can be in state, communal and private property. Therefore, the difficulty is that the impact on the state and private carrier by local governments is quite limited. It is noted that at the same time, local public authorities have the opportunity to influence transport service providers by concluding or not concluding transactions and determining their terms. It is concluded that regulatory support for the functioning and development of public transport in cities and in general in the settlements of our country requires significant improvement, namely: development and approval electric transport, construction, operation and repair of its facilities, public transport as a whole; defining the principles of interaction of all entities in the field of urban transport, regulations on customers, providers and consumers of transport services, their rights and responsibilities; Determination of priority provisions of public policy in the field of land transport and their implementation (ensuring the safety of transportation, environmental friendliness, inclusivity and availability of passenger transport and its subsequent sustainable development), their coordination with plans and strategies of development of cities and regions, etc.

ANALISIS PEMANFAATAN DIGITAL MARKETING SEBAGAI MEDIA PEMASARAN PRODUK (STUDI PADA USAHA KULINER YANG BERMITRA DENGAN APLIKASI JASA TRANSPORTASI ONLINE DI KOTA KENDARI)

This study aims to analyze the extent to which digital marketing is utilized and its correlation with business characteristics and actors in the culinary industry that partner with online transportation service providers in Kendari City. The study population consists of 220 culinary businesses that partner with the Grab online transportation service application in Kendari City. The sample was selected using a simple random sampling technique. The sample size of 42 was determined using the Slovin formula with an error rate of 15%. The study employed a quantitative approach, and data analysis was conducted using descriptive analysis, Chi Square test, and contingency correlation test. The study revealed that only 30 culinary businesses in Kendari City, which partnered with online transportation service applications, utilized digital marketing as a marketing medium. Among them, only 12 businesses had a high level of utilization. The Chi Square analysis results indicate a weak relationship between the level of utilization of digital marketing and turnover characteristics of business. Business characteristics and business actors were found to have a relationship with the level of utilization of digital marketing.

Analysis of the features of passenger transportation projects

In the era of active development of the transport industry, the introduction of digital technologies, the issue of the quality of passenger transportation still remains unresolved, despite the large number of carriers. The general transport system is an integral component of the country's economic development, and therefore research in the field of passenger transport becomes relevant and key aspects in solving the problem of improving the provision of transport services. The authors analyzed the features, main problems and risks of passenger transportation projects. It is noted that the majority of scientific works are devoted to cargo transportation, and those studies related to the field of passenger transportation consider the issue of quality provision of passenger transportation very superficially. The article demonstrates the need to replace traditional forms of project management in the transport sector with modern and progressive ones. Among a number of innovative approaches to management, the authors recommend the implementation of value-oriented management of passenger transportation projects, justifying the fact that value, as a rule, arises only in the process of operating a product, even if a high-quality and efficient system of passenger transportation is the value that will satisfy stakeholders, and primarily passengers. A value-oriented approach to passenger transport projects is determined by the main values that have a certain influence on the success and efficiency of such projects. The main idea is to take into account the needs and expectations of passengers, ensuring comfort, safety and efficiency of transportation. Conclusions were made regarding the need to continue researching value-oriented management in the field of passenger transportation, taking into account the specificity of projects in this field.

Reflections on Labour Productivity of the Sri Lanka Transport Board: An Analysis of Patterns and Evolution

The predominant reliance on buses, particularly by low-income commuters, has made the bus transportation industry one of the most pivotal contributors to the domestic economy. Therefore, as the single largest public bus transportation service provider in Sri Lanka, SLTB’s ability to generate higher volumes of output by employing fewer inputs is increasingly crucial. However, SLTB is a state-owned enterprise that has been criticised for its inefficient factor productivity for a long time. Such allegations against the leading transport service provider of the country would raise serious economic concerns. Thus, this study attempted to examine SLTB’s labour productivity in its physical dimensions as reflected through the elasticity of output on labour inputs to determine the underlying causes for any inefficiency in the utilisation of labour in the organisation. The scale and evolution of elasticities of output of SLTB’s operations on labour inputs between 2011 and 2019 were subject to econometric scrutiny in this study. The results of the study revealed that the SLTB’s elasticity of output on labour inputs has been negative at the overall national level. However, a favourable evolution of the elasticity of output on labour could be observed over the years. The results also revealed the presence of significant differences in region-specific effects on the elasticity of output on labour inputs compared to the national level, indicating that different regions have different labour productivity levels.

Local delivery of bus transportation services: a model of interdependency of provision and production choices

ABSTRACT The article employs a model of interdependency of institutional choices and seeks to investigate the determinants of the provision and production of bus transportation services. We find that municipal population size and low levels of debt are the main drivers of service provision. The decision to cooperate in the provision of bus services is associated with municipalities that have lower levels of financial autonomy. Lastly, we find that larger municipalities and those not run by center left-wing mayors are more likely to opt for the externalization of bus services, either to municipal corporations or to private providers.

Place and role of transport law in the law system of Ukraine

The article reveals the place and role of transport law in the legal system of Ukraine and characterizes the peculiarities of transport relations, sources of transport law. It is noted that transport law is a complex sub-branch of law that combines norms of civil, economic, administrative, land, labor, commercial and a number of other branches of law. Transport law contains public-law and private­law norms that regulate social relations arising in the field of transport activities. Transport activity is accompanied, as a rule, by the conclusion of transport contracts. In its essence, transport law is more closely related to civil law, because property relations make up the material content of transport contracts, transport risk insurance contracts, legal situations of customs clearance of goods, etc. The main factor in property relations in the field of transport are transportation contracts, which are regulated by civil law. A special place is occupied by the protection of the property rights of the parties to obligations arising from transportation contracts.
 It is argued that transport activity includes both the physical movement of passengers, luggage, and cargo from the point of departure to the destination, as well as auxiliary services. Such activities are carried out on the basis of relevant transport contracts. This is the generalized name of all contracts that are regulated by the provision of certain transport services (transportation, forwarding, etc.). The main type of transport contracts is a contract of carriage. Article 908 of the Civil Code of Ukraine establishes the basic provisions regarding contracts for the carriage of cargo, passengers, and luggage, including liability for the main types of violations of obligations arising from carriage contracts; general regulations on transportation. The conditions of transportation of cargo, passengers and luggage by separate modes of transport, as well as the responsibilities of the parties regarding these transportations, are established by the contract, unless otherwise established by the Civil Code of Ukraine, other laws, transport codes (statutes), other normative legal acts and rules issued in accordance with them
 Transport activity, which is accompanied, as a rule, by the conclusion of transport contracts, gives rise to transport legal relations that arise in connection with the operation of transport for the purpose of providing transport services and carrying out related activities in the unity of the organizational-management and economic (civil- law) component of such exploitation
 The subjects of transport legal relations are state authorities and local self-government bodies in relations, in particular, regarding licensing of certain types of transport activities, approval of passports of transport routes, admission of carriers to the activity of transporting passages, etc.; suppliers of transportation transport services - railways, motor transport companies, airlines, etc., which provide relevant services on a contractual basis, at the same time observing certain requirements and standards established by the relevant state authorities; consumers of transport services, which in particular include passengers, consignors and consignees; various auxiliary participants in transport activities, in particular forwarders, agents, insurance companies, etc.
 The object of transport legal relations is activity related to the transportation of goods, passengers, luggage and mail. A distinction is made between the object of transport legal relations and the object (subject) of transportation. The first is a certain good, for example, a transportation service, for the purpose of which subjects enter into legal relations. The object of transportation is cargo, luggage, hand luggage, mail and, of course, a person-passenger.
 Sources of transport law, which are divided into international and national, are analyzed.

Complexity in road freight transport outsourcing networks. TRANSOPE: An agent-based dynamic model

This paper proposes a dynamic agent-based model (TRANSOPE) to simulate outsourcing among transport companies where, for the first time, accumulated knowledge is included as a variable to select service providers. The model consists of two main procedures. Firstly, the model simulates the decision-making of the professionals that contract transport service providers and the formation of outsourcing chains. Secondly, the model simulates the direct learning of participating companies and the transfer of knowledge towards their environment. Imperfect competition is replicated in three different scenarios, which involve the demand for transport services, regional distances and the intensity of knowledge transfer. The model is based on expert consultations and a survey conducted in an environment with a high concentration of transport companies in the Basque Country, Spain. The results indicate significant imbalances in the distribution of outsourcing, particularly in situations of low transport service demand, where 30% of transport companies do not secure any contracts. However, such situations led to strong regional interdependence. The dynamics of outsourcing reveals that over 75% of the contracted companies participate in all simulated scenarios from the first day. A strong hierarchy is also observed in the network, where certain transport companies act as connector hubs (with z-score values higher than 2.5 and participation coefficient values between 0.3 and 0.75), indicating a greater capacity for interaction and leadership in the transfer of knowledge. This feature allows the collaboration network to be identified as a scale-free network. The model has a low computational cost since the distances between agents remain constant. Finally, the formalisation of outsourcing decision-making in the model underpins its validity in forecasting the conduct of a freight transport system under shifting scenarios.

Addressing Disparities in Vision Health and Eye Care in the US

Health disparities are a prevalent issue that continues to affect health outcomes. In ophthalmology, these disparities affect eye care utilization increasing the burden of eye care disorders and vision impairment/loss. Various factors contribute to disparities in vision care. They include age, gender, socioeconomic status, geographic location, and race and ethnicity. These factors make it difficult for people affected by eye conditions to access care. Addressing these disparities can help to increase eye care utilization and improve patient outcomes. Some measures that can address these disparities and increase utilization are providing patient education, increasing insurance coverage, implementing community-based eye care programs, using teleophthalmology, providing transport services, providing reminder alerts, and creating community centres that are federally funded among others. This review seeks to identify measures that can help to address disparities in vision and eye care in the US. The review also identifies drivers of health disparities in vision health and how they affect the ability to access care. Keywords: eye disorders, disparities, vision health, eye care, utilization