Transport Pricing Research Articles

THE IMPACT OF THE DEVELOPMENT OF PERSONNEL COSTS ON THE PROFITABILITY INDICATORS OF ROAD FREIGHT TRANSPORT COMPANIES IN THE CZECH REPUBLIC

The paper's main objective is to investigate the effects of personnel cost growth between 2014 and 2019 on the profitability of selected large road freight transport companies based on the collection of publicly available data of these transport companies. The first sub-objective of the paper is to conduct the necessary data collection from the financial statements of road freight transport companies with more than 250 workers. The second sub-objective of the paper is to define financial ratios and to assess the impact of personnel cost growth on the profitability of these enterprises. The third sub-objective is to determine the development of selected financial ratios over the period 2014 to 2019 and to evaluate the impact of personnel cost growth on the development of these ratios for selected transport companies. As a result of the fulfilment of these goals, we identified that an increase in personnel cost led in chosen transport companies in the years 2015 – 2016 to a significant decrease in labour productivity in the form of sales per employee and decreased profit. In the years 2017 – 2018, the year-on-year increase in personnel cost slowed down with impact to improved labour productivity and improved profit. In 2019 although another increase in personnel cost occurred, the situation changed, and labour productivity and profit increased. Analysis of these data showed that an increase of labour productivity in the form of sales per employee and profit increase in 2018 and 2019 was done thanks to the increasing price of transportation that covered higher personnel costs.

Commodity Price Shocks and Industrial Production of Pakistan

Purpose - Several studies are available on the impact of energy prices on the overall economy and industrial output of Pakistan. However, there is no valuable work that has examined the impact of different groups of commodity prices on industrial output. This study is aimed to fills-in this gap and examine the impact of seven groups of commodities on the industrial output of Pakistan.
 Design/methodology/approach - It uses the Structural Vector Autoregression model for monthly data from July 2008 to June 2020.
 Findings - The finding of our study suggests that food, education and clothing, and footwear price shocks have a negative and significant impact on industrial output. Whereas, the oil and transportation price shocks have a negative impact. The findings of this study may help policymakers to control the commodity prices that have a dominant-negative impact and provide insight that all commodity price shocks are not alike for the industrial output of Pakistan.
 Originality/value - This study contributes significantly to the topic under consideration and provides new insight that not all commodity price shocks are identical. Oil is no doubt the main source of energy. However, many other types of commodities significantly affect the industrial production of Pakistan. This study is the first attempt to highlight the impact of seven groups of commodity prices and provide evidence that these commodity prices significantly affect the industrial production of Pakistan.

Analysis Model of Arco North Amazon Corridors to Mato Grosso's Soybean

Nowadays, Brazil has consolidated it self as the biggest exporter of soybean beans in the world, and the brazilian state that has most contribrited to this rate is the state of Mato Grosso, and for its geographic location, Mato Grosso also its products to the ports of Arco Norte. This study proposes to develop a model for optimalization of the logistic corridors of transport, for the soybean from the mato-grossense destined for the ports of Arco Norte, trying to obtain a more effective logistic in the face of quantitative indicators such as: transport price, municipal production and dock capacity, the corridors that are being studied are BR-163 (MT-PA), Ferrogrão (EF-170) and the Araguaia-Tocantins waterway. The analisys for the corridors, will be through a linear programming, which is a method capable of enable hierarchization processes, which contributes to the analysis of the proposed problem. In this sense, the results show that the intermodal transport, using the ferrogrão and the waterway Araguaia-Tocantins, were the least costly routes transporting mato-grossense soybean to the Arco Norte Amazonian ports.

A Challenge of Services Management - Balancing the Price of Transportation

A Challenge of Services Management - Balancing the Price of Transportation

Multi-objective optimization of natural gas supply chain in shortage period

ABSTRACT Natural gas consumption usually has the characteristics of seasonal fluctuations. Some countries have experienced gas shortages in recent years due to the imbalance between supply and demand, especially in winter or peak gas consumption periods. Under the conditions of a gas shortage, it is necessary to ensure the benefits of marketers and improve their satisfaction from users’ perspectives, so it is difficult to find the optimal purchase and sales strategy. Considering that different pipeline transportation pricing mechanisms and different gas distribution schemes have a great impact on the benefits of marketers, this paper proposes a multi-objective optimization model that maximizes the marketer’s benefits and minimizes the hypoxia index for different pipeline transportation mechanisms because of the supply-side gas shortage in the upstream gas source. The object-weighted method is used to process the multi-objective problem. The CPLEX solver is adopted to solve the optimization problem. Finally, the model is applied to a long-distance natural gas supply chain system to prove its applicability. After multi-objective optimization, under the two pipeline transport mechanisms, profits increased by 17.5% and 6.9%, respectively, and the hypoxia index decreased by 1.11 and 1.93, respectively, which greatly improved economic benefits and user satisfaction. Overall, the optimized scheme can maintain the stable operation of the natural gas supply chain and make up for the losses caused by the gas shortage.

Transfer pricing as a means of minimizing tax manipulation in operations with non-residents

The article examines current trends in transfer pricing as a means of minimizing tax manipulation, including operations with non-residents. The concept of transfer pricing and controlled transactions, the criteria that indicate that the transaction is under control, including operations with non-residents has been disclosed. The methods of establishing compliance with the conditions of the controlled operation of the «outstretched arm» principle and the basis for their application, as well as penalties in the field of transfer pricing have been analyzed. The international and domestic regulatory framework for transfer pricing has been considered, the features of globalization of tax legislation in this matter have been identified. Features of the subjectivity of national legislation in the field of transport pricing have been highlighted and ways to minimize the risk of enhanced monitoring by regulatory authorities have been presented. The changes that have taken place in transfer pricing since the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic have been disclosed.

Oil Supply Shocks on the Price of Transportation: Evidence from Bangladesh

Oil Supply Shocks on the Price of Transportation: Evidence from Bangladesh

АНАЛИЗ И СРАВНЕНИЕ ЭКОНОМИЧЕСКИХ ПОКАЗАТЕЛЕЙ МЕЖДУ НАЕМНЫМ И СОБСТВЕННЫМ ТРАНСПОРТОМ

The work is devoted to the analysis and comparison of economic indicators between hired and own transport, as well as the development of profitable offers of cooperation with sea lines on the example of the operating enterprise LLC "Major Cargo Service" in Vladivostok. The article contains tables that reflect the positive and negative aspects of hired and own transport. The analysis of the Russian and foreign markets for the sale of transport (marine, trucks, cranes) and the leasing of territories for parking is carried out. The optimal options for the purchase of transport in the fleet have been selected. The economic calculation of monetary investments and possible profits was carried out. A list of shipping lines with data on the price of transportation and transit times has been developed. The main criteria for the selection of sea lines are linear shipping on the Shanghai – Vladivostok route with access to the ports of the Far East. A list of criteria for calculating the weighting coefficients of sea lines for further cooperation using the expert, point method is presented. The results of a survey of the company's employees on the importance of the identified indicators for suppliers are presented, a five-point scale for evaluating suppliers by selected indicators is developed.

Price discrimination as a tool to ensure sustainable development of a transport company

The article discusses the possibility of using price discrimination in the passenger transportation market. The purpose of the study: on the basis of the available scientific achievements, to develop a mechanism for differentiating prices for passenger transportation, contributing to the increase in profits by expanding the market share. The methodological tools were applied taking into account the specific tasks of the work. This research is based on an interdisciplinary approach. Systematic, statistical, dialectical, analytical, logical and other methods of scientific knowledge were used, making it possible to clarify the main advantages of organizations and substantiate the current state of affairs in the field of passenger transportation. The criteria for the division of services into different price categories have been identified and specified. As a result of the work, the authors have identified the concepts of service provision time and zone, the income of buyers due to the issues of delimiting the demand for transport passenger services. To differentiate the indicators for each criterion, corrective coefficients have been determined: coefficient of the need to travel; social coefficient; ring or diameter coefficients.

Innovative NFC-validation system for accounting of income and expenses of public transport enterprises

To control pricing in passenger transportation, monitor the functioning of urban transport networks, reduce direct contacts during the COVID-19 pandemic, it is advisable to implement a system of NFC validation of fares. NFC (Near-Field Communication) technology provides primary information on public transport and travel fares. The article aims to improve the method of application of the technology of automated NFC-validation of fares in urban passenger transport to account for and control provided transport services. The tasks include research of mechanisms of the automated identification and counting of quantity of the transported passengers to account incomes of the motor transport enterprises; selection of calculation units for automated determination of the cost of provided transport services; development of control methods of drivers work, the operation of vehicles, transportation of privileged categories of citizens, pricing, etc. Theoretical and methodological aspects of NFC-validation technologies for public transport fares for accounting purposes have been studied based on general research methods – institutional and innovative; economic and mathematical methods of analysis and polynomial trend using Excel spreadsheets were used to predict the pace of implementation of NFC-devices; methods of bibliographic and comparative analysis using the information resource «ResearchGate»– to determine promising areas for new technologies in the provision of transport and passenger services. It is proved that the most effective unit of cost calculation of transport services is «passenger-kilometer», which corresponds to the peculiarities of the functioning of urban passenger transport, as it takes into account the number of passengers and distance of travel. The procedure for distribution of income from the sale of electronic tickets and budget subsidies between carriers based on information on the total number (including privileged categories) of transported passengers has been developed. The method of automated cost accounting by the «passenger-kilometer» meter for fuels and lubricants, staff salaries, depreciation of vehicles, and its current repairs, which define the cost of transport services, is improved. Implementing NFC fare validation technology will facilitate automated accounting of costs, revenues, and cash receipts from transport services, the introduction of effective control over the work of drivers, vehicles, concessional transportation, pricing, timeliness, and reliability taxes on urban transport.

From de Chilean Social Outbreak to the Covid-19 Pandemic: Approaches of a Deep Change

In October 2019 Chile began to experience a process of deep social, political and economic crisis that was triggered by the rise in the price of public transport. One of the most frequently quoted phrases during the beginning of the crisis was "it's not 30 pesos, it's 30 years", indicating that the crisis is not only explained by the increase in transport, but by the overwhelming sum of inequalities that the Chilean people have been experiencing for more than 30 years, this is expressed by the extreme indebtedness of households, high defaults and low salaries, the detestable distribution of wealth. In this way, this article will be a descriptive review which aims to review and analyze the main facts that Chile has experienced since the social explosion of October 2019, and how the COVID-19 has shown the inequalities of a political-economic system that needs to be transformed.

Specifics of Railway Development in Russia

The state of rail transport in Russia today cannot be commended, considering that the leading countries in the industry are sometimes several times more efficient than Russia. A number of current problems, such as the lack of high-speed railways, the underdeveloped rail network, the monopoly of one company and, consequently, the unreasonably high prices for transportation, need to be resolved as soon as possible. Improvements in this area will help railways to be competitive among other transport: today, transportation by rail is slower than it could be and more expensive. Solutions need to be found that will soon solve the existing range of problems and also allow the railway industry to continue making a major contribution to the country's economy. Russia is a potentially game-changing country in this industry: it has a huge area, which means there should be no problems in accommodating the HSL. Besides, the country has good engineers trained in this field, and the investments made into changing the railroad sector would allow the country to develop at a pace similar to that of China, for instance.

To pay or not to pay? Understanding public acceptance of congestion pricing: A case study of Nanjing

<abstract> <p>Congestion pricing has been unquestionably recognized as an efficient strategy for managing traffic demand following the successful introduction of such schemes in a number of cities. However, the lack of political and public acceptance can be blamed for the nonexecution of congestion pricing projects in numerous cities around the world. This paper sheds light on the impacts of congestion pricing and the factors influencing its public acceptance. Our research was aimed to answer the following questions: (ⅰ) What are the factors that can influence public acceptance of congestion pricing? (ⅱ) What are the impacts of implementing a congestion pricing scheme? (ⅲ) How can we overcome the barriers that currently stand in the way of public acceptance of congestion pricing? To answer these questions, we developed a case study combining stated preference and revealed preference data collected in Nanjing, China. The study analyzes the acceptance of congestion pricing and the factors influencing it, such as socioeconomics, the perceived impact, fairness and public transit-related factors. We compare logistic regression and artificial neural network models to gain a deeper knowledge of the important factors and investigate the respondents' attitudes. The results revealed that the perceived impacts on congestion, the environment, trips to the city center, revenue allocation, public transportation price satisfaction, annual income, fairness, car ownership and travel frequency, along with the efficiency and capacity of public transport systems, need to be included when evaluating individuals' acceptance of congestion pricing. Among these, the perceived impacts on congestion and the environment, fairness and revenue allocation to public transportation are the most significant factors. Moreover, we offer further qualitative insight into the individual, economic and social impacts of congestion pricing. This paper provides decision- and policy-makers with important advice on how to promote public acceptance when considering the implementation of a congestion pricing scheme.</p> </abstract>

An Innovative Multi-Criteria Decision-Making (MCDM) Framework for Picking the Right Used Chemical Tankers: A Classified Model-Based Discussion

Because chemical tanker boats are so expensive to build and maintain, shipping firms may not be able to supply their clients with fair transportation pricing. As a result, shipping businesses may find various benefits and chances by purchasing second-hand chemical tanker vessels. But picking a chemical tanker is a hard task that requires overcoming numerous misunderstandings and weighing several conflicting factors. A novel MCDM technique has been proposed in this study for this aim. EDAS approach is used in the proposed model, to handle uncertainty. In order to demonstrate efficacy, relevance, and robustness, the model was used to address decision-making issues involving the selection of suitable second-hand chemical tankers from a pool of 10 (alternatives). The chemical tanker boats were evaluated using 14 distinct choice criteria in the present article. The findings show that the most important factor is CTC6′′ Maintenance cost, and the best and most preferred chemical tanker is CTA6

Исследование формирования рынка транспортных услуг и модели регионального транспортно-продовольственного баланса

The theoretical models of formation of the transportation price - the equilibrium tariff in the transport services market are investigated. A specific model of formation of the promising transport and food balance is shown when planning the average per capita consumption of five main groups of food productsin accordance with recommendations of the Ministry of Health of the Russian Federation. The conceptual scheme of the transport and economic territorial balance is given, the principles of mutual balance of the development of territorial production and transportation, carrying capacity of transport are formulated, a refined definition of the freight transport services market is given.

The hub location and pricing problem

This paper introduces the joint problem of locating hubs on a network and determining transportation prices between the hubs. Two levels of decision makers are present in the problem acting non-cooperatively: hub transportation provider and customers. The objective of the hub transportation provider is to locate hubs and to set the prices (per unit of commodity) of crossing the hub arcs maximizing its profit, whereas the customers aim is to send their commodities, in the cheapest way, having the possibility of using the hub arcs at the price set by the hub transportation provider or using the existing network at a predefined tariff. The problem is modeled as a nonlinear bilevel programming formulation, which is in turn linearized, and strengthened through variable reductions as well as valid inequalities. The case in which the price of each hub arc is determined by applying a common discount factor to the predefined tariff in the existing network is also studied. Computational results of mixed integer programming models and a metaheuristic on instances adapted from the literature are presented.

A Systematic Review of the Role of Road Network Pricing in Shaping Sustainable Cities: Lessons Learned and Opportunities for a Post-Pandemic World

The growing number of studies on road network pricing requires adoption of systematic methodologies to assess research outcomes and provide an unbiased summary of research findings and lessons learned. This paper aims to identify and analyse primary studies related to a set of research questions on road network pricing that primarily address the effectiveness of road network pricing as a travel demand management strategy. The paper achieves this by consolidating the fragmented evidence on the topic and identifying the role of transport pricing in steering our post-pandemic cities on a path of sustainable urban mobility. The paper uses a reliable and auditable systematic approach to examine past and current research trends, resulting in a rational assessment of the role and impacts of road network pricing as a travel demand management strategy. The paper achieves this by performing a bibliometric citation analysis that identifies 105 articles of valuable research contributions that represent fundamental knowledge in the development of research covering the period between 2007 and 2020. Importantly, the review identifies four main research themes in the literature, namely implementation impacts, innovations in technology, acceptability, and modelling methodologies for determining impacts, that are core elements of the research effort on the travel demand management and sustainability aspects of road pricing. Inductive reasoning is then used to address emerging issues, applications, and the effects of road network pricing in reducing congestion and enhancing urban centre environmental quality. The paper concludes with a discussion of policy directions for overcoming barriers to the implementation of road network pricing as an effective strategy for addressing modern-day urban mobility challenges such as rising urban populations, emissions, and pollution particularly amid and post COVID-19. Finally, the paper provides a roadmap of future research opportunities that can heighten the role of road network pricing in shaping the directions of sustainable urban transport policies and strategies.

Endogenous transport price, R&D spillovers, and trade

AbstractEfficient distribution has a considerable influence on the sales volume of firms, and thus affects the firms’ research and development (R&D) activities. This paper analyses the relationship between competition in the transport sector and the R&D of firms using the transportation services. We consider a two‐region reciprocal market in which firms invest in cost‐reducing R&D and use carriers that engage in price competition to supply their products to the foreign market. We show that, corresponding to the degree of R&D spillover, a transport cost (or price) reduction because of an increase in the number of carriers can increase or decrease the firms’ R&D investments. This result is consistent with the finding in previous studies that trade liberalisation can hinder R&D. Because inefficient firms lead to high prices in the market, an increase in the number of carriers may reduce consumer surplus. We further discuss the case in which firms have monopsony power in transportation services and show that our main results are robust to the extension.

An integrated CRITIC and MABAC based type-2 neutrosophic model for public transportation pricing system selection

The pricing of public transportation services is a complex task that authorities deal with because many criteria should be considered while deciding on the pricing system. Some include decentralization of the cities due to lower rents in outer-city regions and operating costs of longer transportation lines. Hence, four alternative public transportation pricing systems are defined, which are flat fare, distance-based, zonal, and rent-based fare. To prioritize these alternatives, four aspects are determined, namely cost, transportation, social and political, and there are 13 criteria present under these aspects. A two-stage hybrid multi-criteria decision-making model based on type-2 neutrosophic numbers (T2NNs) is introduced to provide a straightforward and flexible decision-making tool for researchers and practitioners. In its first stage, the reputation of the experts is determined under the T2NN environment. Second, the novel T2NN-based CRiteria Importance Through Intercriteria Correlation (CRITIC) method is employed to evaluate the criteria importance, while the new T2NN-based Multi-Attributive Border Approximation area Comparison (MABAC) method is used to rank the public transportation pricing systems. The results show that rent-based fare pricing is the most advantageous alternative. The high reliability and robustness of the integrated CRITIC and MABAC based type-2 neutrosophic model are demonstrated with the comparative and sensitivity analyses.

Efficient transport pricing–why, what, and when?

Striking a balance between societal benefits and costs of transportation lies at the heart of transport planning and transport systems analysis. Increased transport and urbanization enable the many benefits of modern socieities through specialization of labour, production and lifestyles – but these trends simultaneously increase the drawbacks of transportation, such as carbon emissions, congestion, noise and air quality problems. Technical developments and improved infrastrastructure can help reduce these drawbacks, but they do not solve the fundamental problem that those reaping the benefits of transport – travellers, firms, customers – do not perceive the full social costs of transportation. To balance transport costs and benefits, efficient pricing is necessary. Despite a wealth of theoretical arguments, technical developments and substantial practical experience, efficient transport pricing is still rare. Focusing on the example of urban congestion pricing, this paper summarizes why transport pricing is needed, lessons learnt from practical experience, and what the main obstacles are. The two most important obstacles seem to be political power struggles between different levels of governments, and that even if total social gains vastly exceed total social losses, the losses tend to be more salient; losers tend to be easy to identify, while winners tend to be more dispersed and perhaps only exist in the future.