No full-text available
To read the full-text of this research,
you can request a copy directly from the authors.
An improved approach to evaluate car sharing options
Abstract
We develop an improved approach to evaluate car sharing options under uncertain environments with the combination of Fuzzy Analytic Hierarchy Process (F-AHP) and Fuzzy Technique for Order Preference by Similarity to Ideal Solution (F-TOPSIS), which consists of three steps. In the first step, we propose a SCUMN (Specific, Comprehensive, Understandable, Measurable, and Neutral) methodology to identify appropriate indicators and obtain a final list of 24 indicators according to their relevance to car sharing options. In the second step, we determine the weight of each indicator with F-AHP and conduct consistency check of the comparison matrix of selected indicators. In the third step, comparison of different options is performed with selected indicators and F-TOPSIS. A case study is provided to validate the proposed approach. Twenty-four indicators are identified to evaluate five different car sharing options and rank them according to their closeness coefficients in decreasing order. And thirty-one sensitivity analysis experiments are conducted to figure out the influence of indicators on decision making. The experimental results show that the proposed approach is capable of evaluating car sharing options with uncertainty and vagueness. F-AHP is able to determine the weight for each selected indicator and F-TOPSIS demonstrates its advantage in comparing potential options.
... Com a crescente urbanização, a disponibilidade limitada de espaços de estacionamento e regulamentos ambientais mais rigorosos, existem iniciativas de introdução do conceito de compartilhamento de veículos como alternativas potenciais de prestadores de serviço (FIKAR;HIRSCH, 2016). Atualmente, mais e mais pessoas optam por trabalhar em pontos centrais das cidades e viver em áreas suburbanas, sendo que e a maioria das áreas urbanas hoje sofre com a poluição ambiental, congestionamento e problemas de estacionamento (QU et al., 2017). Uma alternativa é o oferecimento de serviços de compartilhamento de carros (ou car-sharing service -CSS), que tem atraído atenção ao redor do mundo em virtude de seu potencial para melhorar a mobilidade e a sustentabilidade COHEN, 2013). ...
... O car-sharing surgiu como uma alternativa para o uso de veículos, baseado no conceito que as pessoas não precisam de carros, mas de mobilidade (MEIJKAMP, 1998). Compartilhar o carro com outros usuários pode ser uma maneira eficiente de usá-lo (QU et al., 2017). Estes sistemas estão dentro do conceito de "economia compartilhada", que se refere a um tipo de negócio baseado no uso compartilhado de recursos, que proporciona aos usuários acesso aos produtos sem adquiri-los (HAMARI et al., 2016). ...
... Um sistema produto-serviço (PSS) é uma maneira adequada de defender a ideia de compartilhamento (QU et al., 2017). O car-sharing é um tipo de PSS que vende a utilização do veículo e de serviços relacionados ao mesmo (TUKKER, 2004). ...
Com a crescente urbanização e consequente aumento do congestionamento, falta de estacionamentos e problemas relacionados com a poluição, os serviços de compartilhamento de carros (ou car-sharing services - CSS) emergem como alternativas potenciais. Contudo, apesar da difusão e dos potenciais benefícios, os CSS apresentam inúmeras restrições e desafios para implantação. Nesse sentido, este trabalho objetiva analisar um CSS no estado de Santa Catarina e compará-lo com os principais sistemas na Europa. Para a coleta de dados, foi conduzida uma entrevista com um dos fundadores do CSS e uso de dados secundários acerca dos principais sistemas de compartilhamento. Constatou-se que os principais fatores críticos identificados no CSS implantado foram: baixa densidade da rede, capacidade de operação limitada, e falta de interligação com outros modais de transporte. Apesar de o insucesso do sistema de car-sharing analisado, acredita-se que este tipo de iniciativa possa ter favorecida com divulgação mais ampla deste tipo de serviço, destacando ainda a necessidade de melhorias em aspectos relacionados a mobilidade urbana.
... Eles apontam, ao final, indicador importante para a avaliação da sustentabilidade ambiental de qualquer sistema de transporte pela quantificação de veículos em fim de vida útil; ou de seus componentes (pneus, partes plásticas, etc.). Em outro esforço, Qu et al. (2017) dispõem-se a avaliar indicadores para aferir os níveis de impactos ambiental, social, econômico e de desempenho de sistemas de transporte. Os autores elencam dezenas de indicadores dos quais selecionaram 24 mais relevantes segundo critérios de relevância à sustentabilidade, disponibilidade de dados, confiabilidade da medida, sensibilidade para apontar mudanças, transparência, independência e "padronização", avaliados de forma absoluta, per capita ou em densidades. ...
... Outros fatores influenciam tal autonomia, que podem incrementar os níveis de materiais descartados, são relativos aos regimes de trabalho da bateria (quantidade de cargas e descargas anteriores), temperatura e corrente (Grilo et al., 2005). O indicador que se reconhece na literatura, diz respeito ao "consumo de energia" (Qu et al., 2017). O segundo aspecto central, diretamente atrelado aos impactos gerados pela oferta do S.U.S, e a característica de como e onde tais resíduos são descartados (Figura 4, C). ...
... Neste sentido, reconhecemos que a característica do uso do solo referente aos aterros sanitários e centrais de coletas e reciclagem são muito importantes. Este aspecto pode ser identificado na literatura através de indicadores referentes ao "consumo de terra para infraestrutura" ou "taxas de ocupação de solo urbano" (Gilbert et al., 2003;Qu et al., 2017) (Figura 4, D), que pode ter comportamentos que exijam mais energia (atividades engajadas (S.A.) e localizações destas atividades (S.U.S.)), que podem ser caracterizadas por classes socioeconômicas. A segunda hipótese de causalidade é de que a "eficiência dos veículos" (Figura 4, E) utilizados tem grande efeito sobre os níveis de descartes (Gillis et al., 2015). ...
Worldwide, the electrification of vehicle fleets presents itself as one of the possible solutions to reduce the environmental impacts caused by the transport system. With this goal in mind, experts face several challenges to evaluate the positive effects of such decisions. This article attempts to contribute with solutions for two challenges, the methodological difficulties (in the characterization and diagnosis steps of planning) in representing environmental problems while recognizing them as complex phenomena with systemic effects, and the definition (selection/construction) of indicators applicable to these problems. As a solution, we have adopted a strategic planning methodology, supported by a conceptual model representative of the urban environment that allowed us to describe systematically the raised problems. Next, we identified and selected indicators, through an overview of specialized literature, that were applicable to the raised problems. As a result, we have a final shortlist of problems and their applicable indicators.
... Different from classical set theory, fuzzy set theory permits the gradual assessment of the membership of elements in relation to a set (described using a membership function) (Kubler et al., 2016). To deal with uncertainty and vagueness in decision making process, the comparison ratios as triangular fuzzy number can be expressed (Qu et al., 2017). In the second phase of evaluation F-TOPSIS technique is applied. ...
... where RI stands for random index and can be obtained from Table 6 (Qu et al., 2017). When CR ≤ 0.1, the matrix is right with acceptable consistency. ...
... Then pair-wise comparison matrix is constructed and the matrix must pass consistency check by calculating consistency index and consistency ratio. According to methodology proposed byQu et al. (2017) and with the aid of R open source programming language and software environment, fuzzy weight of each indicator is obtained as a result ...
Integrating the most appropriate special transportation service for people with movement disorders model may result in great economy efficiency and social benefit balance. However, most existing researches are based on improving the accessibility of public transport services or development of routing and scheduling under stochastic input data. The aim of this paper is to project the evaluation algorithm for the purpose of assessing the appropriate model of integration which would enable the employment of existing resources and filling the gap in assurance the mobility needs of people with mobility impairments. This paper identifies the evaluation indicators which are selected from international publications. Firstly the performance indicators of special transportation services were selected, further the sustainable development of public transport services evaluation indicators were selected, classified and adjusted to the goal of this paper. As a final result of indicators selection, a set of indicators classified into two groups - cost and benefit - was carried out. The decision making is based on Fuzzy Analytic Hierarchy Process and Fuzzy Technique for Order Preference by Similarity to Ideal Solution methods. A case study is provided to demonstrate the application of proposed evaluation algorithm.
... Convenience of access and use (c 4 ) refers to the time that the users access and use a bike and is affected by the simplicity of procedures, such as the lock/unlock system (Awasthi et al., 2011;Faghihimani and Eluru, 2017). Security (c 5 ) refers to the safety performance of the bike, its capability to reduce the accident rate, and some additional safeguards (Awasthi et al., 2011;Qu et al., 2017). ...
... To verify the correctness and advantages of the proposed approach in this work, a comparative analysis is conducted between the proposed method and three other methods, namely, the weighted average (WA) aggregation operator-based method (Lam and Lai, 2015), TOPSIS-based method (Qu et al., 2017) and VIKORbased method (Zhao and Li, 2016). In the method of Lam and Lai (2015), the WA aggregation operator is used to aggregate the information of QFD problem, and the overall values are defuzzified using Eq. ...
... (3). In the methods of Qu et al. (2017) and Zhao and Li (2016), the distance measure of TFNs are employed, and the distance-based closeness coefficient and compromise solution are used to rank alternatives, respectively. The importance coefficients of the criteria are obtained by the proposed method. ...
The smart bike-sharing program (BSP), which is a novel bike-sharing mode of traditional BSP, has become popular in many cities in China. However, most BSP studies focus only on the socio-economic characteristics of the users, bike-sharing patterns, and impacts that influence bike-sharing demand. This study increases the knowledge on BSPs by presenting a hybrid fuzzy multi-criteria decision-making approach that is based on multi-phase quality function deployment. This approach covers the performance evaluation of smart BSPs allowing for customer voices under uncertain conditions. This method combines the fuzzy best-worst method (BWM), fuzzy maximizing deviation method (MDM), and fuzzy multi-objective optimization by ratio analysis plus the full multiplicative form (MULTIMOORA). It uses fuzzy BWM to determine priorities of customer requirements and company strategies and to obtain subjective importance coefficients of criteria. Fuzzy MDM is used to derive objective importance coefficients of criteria and fuzzy MULTIMOORA is used to rank alternatives in terms of each criterion. An empirical case in Changsha, which is one of the pilot areas for comprehensively supporting the reform for an environment-friendly and resource-conserving society (“two-oriented society”) in China, is provided to illustrate the application of the proposed framework. Results can help enterprises and organizations improve their performance and provide high-quality products and services for customers.
... The studies comparing car-sharing models focused on accounting regional factors of developing economies are absent in the literature. To the best of our knowledge, a recent study by Qu et al. (2017) is the only study published focusing on China that attempts to develop a framework for selecting car-sharing models. However, the study faces some limitations, such as the research weights all criteria equally and uses only three experts. ...
... However, the study faces some limitations, such as the research weights all criteria equally and uses only three experts. Additionally, literature review present in Table 2 suggests that Qu et al. (2017) and most of the studies in the field of sustainable transportation have not considered indicators such as 'one-way flexibility', 'ease of use', 'time window for booking' and 'car variety'. ...
Indian cities are facing population rise, space crunch, and urbanization, which is leading to severe transport sector emissions, congestion, and unsustainable car ownership growth. One solution is adopting car-sharing, a good example of Circular-Economy (CE), and promotes sustainable mobility development. There are many car-sharing models, and minimal knowledge is available regarding their suitability for Indian cities. This study attempts to bridge the knowledge gap by firstly developing a framework to compare car-sharing models. Further, identifying an appropriate car-sharing model for Mumbai. The framework is based-on scenario-based comparative analysis and employs an expert judgment based-on Multiple-Criteria Decision-Making (MCDM) approach. Aggregated results from experts' inputs indicate carpool is the most preferred car-sharing model for both urban and suburban scenario. 'Accessibility' and 'transport cost' are the most critical indicators for urban and suburban regions, respectively. Detailed discussion on each criterion and indicator is provided to develop suitable recommendations for future policymaking and asset utilization. A rigorous sensitivity analysis using 25 different weight-based scenarios is conducted to assess robustness and internally validate the results. Sensitivity analysis suggests that focusing on individual indicators is not enough to sway overall results; however, 'technical' and 'environment and health' criteria are identified as most sensitive in this study.
... No caso em questão, decisões de localização de usos sofrem efeitos das estratificações sociais (a depender das condições sociais e econômicas certos grupos terem maior ou menor liberdade de escolha de localizações), e das restrições de acessibilidade (o que facilita ou dificulta movimentos e altera o valor, pecuniário ou não, do solo).3.2. Adaptação dos indicadores ao fluxograma de relações de problemasOs indicadores selecionados, baseados na literatura(LOPES et al., 2017;QU;YU; YU, 2017) e selecionados a partir de uma heurística adotada para este trabalho, serão, a seguir, relacionados aos problemas. Para esta adaptação utilizamos a representação das relações de causalidade mútuas entre problemas, apresentado na seção 3.1.3. ...
... No caso em questão, decisões de localização de usos sofrem efeitos das estratificações sociais (a depender das condições sociais e econômicas certos grupos terem maior ou menor liberdade de escolha de localizações), e das restrições de acessibilidade (o que facilita ou dificulta movimentos e altera o valor, pecuniário ou não, do solo).3.2. Adaptação dos indicadores ao fluxograma de relações de problemasOs indicadores selecionados, baseados na literatura(LOPES et al., 2017;QU;YU; YU, 2017) e selecionados a partir de uma heurística adotada para este trabalho, serão, a seguir, relacionados aos problemas. Para esta adaptação utilizamos a representação das relações de causalidade mútuas entre problemas, apresentado na seção 3.1.3. ...
Reconhecemos como objetivos específicos deste relatório:
1. Selecionar e hierarquizar os indicadores de interesse levantados na etapa anterior;
2. Representar as suas relações mútuas de causa e efeito com o suporte de modelos teóricos e operacionais;
3. Discussão das relações de causa e efeito que subsidiem uma análise empírica dos impactos destes indicadores;
... One is car-sharing (CS). Although there has been no unified agreement on the definition of CS until now, most of literature generally accepts its principle as individuals who are able to access vehicles that are shared by a group of members or organizations, on an as-needed basis without paying [3,4]. Typically, CS is maintained and managed by a third-party organization [5]. ...
... To comprehensively review the relevant studies, the literature in this part includes both ECSS and conventional systems. According to the study by Qu et al. [3], the evaluation of CS or ECSS has gained considerable attention in recent years and most of the research has focused on the benefit evaluation brought by CS to consumers and the society. For example, Fellows and Pitfield [33] employed cost benefit analysis techniques to examine the economic benefits of CS under three scenarios with different participation rates. ...
The combination of car-sharing and electric vehicles can increase the acceptance of electric vehicles and facilitate car-sharing to be a more sustainable means of transport. However, this also poses more challenges for the good planning of electric car-sharing systems. To assist car-sharing companies in improving the planning decisions, this paper developed an evaluation framework from a comprehensive view. In the first step, four evaluation criteria were identified according to the planning process: construction of stations; routine inspection; vehicle usability and relocation management; and the maintenance and replacement of stations. Then, a combinatorial method based on analytic hierarchy process (AHP), cost-benefit analysis (CBA), and Voronoi diagram (VD) is developed to determine the relative weight of the four criteria and evaluate the alternative. Finally, the evaluation framework was applied in a realistic case of EVCARD, which is the most influential electric car-sharing company in China. The performance of two different operational districts of EVCARD—Jingan and Changning—were compared. The results showed that vehicle usability and relocation management is the greatest criterion influencing the planning performance of the electric car-sharing system in China, and that routine inspection is a negligible but important factor. According to the relative scores, Jiagan District performed better than Changning district.
... Articles qualitatively dealing with sustainability e.g. of the designing process of clothes or PSS were excluded from the studies. In the end, we were left with 71 articles for study one and 19 for study two [72][73][74][75][76][77][78][79][80][81][82][83][84][85][86][87][88][89][90]. ...
... The most examined PSS is renting, a used-oriented PSS (7 articles [73,76,79,80,85,86,87]), followed by productrelated PSS (5 articles) like a laundry service [80], refill of ink cartridges [82] and take-back schemes [83,84,88]. ...
As part of a broader project, which should answer the research question whether renting casual clothes provides ecological benefits compared to conventional consumption, two literature reviews have been conducted. The first one addresses the field of Life Cycle Assessment in the textile sector. The second study considers the literature regarding the Life Cycle Assessment of Product-Service Systems. We present findings on the dependence of LCA studies, lack of available data of chemicals, benefits from technological development in the field, the importance of the use phase of clothes and suggest further routes of research regarding user behavior and methodological development.
... It can be implemented by various techniques such as weighted sum method (WSM), weighted product method (WPM), analytical hierarchy process (AHP), preference ranking organization method for enrichment evaluation (PROMETHEE), elimination and choice translating reality (ELECTRE), technique for order preference by similarity to ideal solutions (TOPSIS), compromise programming (CP), and multi-attribute utility theory (MAUT) [10]. Recently, to address the uncertainty and complexity arising in the decision-making, some new methods have been developed combining MCDM with fuzzy logic theory, like fuzzy AHP, fuzzy comprehensive assessment, and fuzzy TOPSIS [5,11]. ...
... In a broad sense of meaning, carsharing refers to an innovative type of business based on the shared use of cars, which provides access to cars without actual ownership [5]. Although there are different kinds of options for carsharing, most carsharing systems are often designed for shorter time and shorter distance trips as an extension of the transportation network. ...
Carsharing is one of the effective ways to relieve the problems of traffic jams, parking difficulties, and air pollution. In recent years, the numbers of carsharing services and their members have remarkably increased around the world. The project of electric carsharing in Shanghai, called EVCARD, has also developed rapidly with very large demand and supply. Aiming to determine the optimal locations of future stations of the EVCARD, this research employs a novel method combining the analytic hierarchy process (AHP) and geographical information system (GIS) with big data. Potential users, potential travel demand, potential travel purposes, and distance from existing stations are selected as the decision criteria. A siting decision system is established, consisting of 15 evaluation indicators which are calculated from multi-source data on mobile phones, taxi trajectory, point of interests (POI), and the EVCARD operation. The method of the AHP is used to determine the indicator weights, and the "Spatial Analyst" tool of ArcGIS is adopted to generate the indicator values for every 1 km × 1 km decision unit. Finally, synthetic scores are calculated to evaluate the candidate sites of EVCARD stations. The results of the case study verify the effectiveness of the proposed method, which can provide a more scientific and feasible method for carsharing operators to site stations, avoiding aimless and random decisions.
... Multi-Criteria Decision Making methods have been adopted in several studies to solve transport problems, for example, the analysis of the public transport system Gündoğdu et al., 2021) but also in the area of shared mobility, such as car-sharing (Qu et al., 2017) or bike-sharing (Kabak et al., 2018). AHP and F-AHP have also been used in sustainable urban logistics (Alkharabsheh et al., 2019) for urban transport users , in urban logistics stakeholder analysis , in urban road networks (Nosal & Solecka, 2014) and many others. ...
COVID-19 pandemic has caused changes in logistics and mobility. Concerning Italian road mobility, between March and April 2020, there has been a reduction in traffic for both light vehicles and heavy goods vehicles. Italy was the first European country to implement a total lockdown, starting on March 9th, causing a deep contraction in road traffic. This paper explores the main differences in mobility choices before and after the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020. A multi-criteria decision-making method was selected for the analysis of questionnaire survey data. The fuzzy Analytic Hierarchy Process was applied, considering eight mobility types: bus, tram, taxi, train, shared vehicles, multiple modes, walking and car. An evaluation process was adopted for the modal mobility choices of the residents of Sicily, Italy. The results show a significant decline in mobility demand during the first phase of the pandemic, especially in public transport mode. The findings provide a deeper understanding of the need to implement strategies to respect the constraints generated by the pandemic and revive the penalised transport and mobility-related sectors. Furthermore, the study's findings provide valuable insights for the policymakers, both national and local, about the mobility results of the lockdown and can be used as a forecast benchmark for planning the restrictions in the future, in case of another unexpected phenomenon, e.g., pandemic.
... And they found that a car-sharing service can save the costs of members, reduce of travel related CO 2 emission and rise the sustainable transportation modes. Qu M et al. [25] developed an improved threestep approach to evaluate the car-sharing options under uncertain environments, and the research results demonstrate the approach is capable of evaluating car-sharing options with uncertainty and vagueness. ...
Electric vehicle sharing (EVS) and bike sharing have been recognized as promising solutions to growingly serious problems of traffic congestion, air pollution, and insufficient parking spaces. This paper, based on the current research status, analyzes and evaluates the effect of shared transportation on alleviating or solving the traffic and environmental issues of mega-cities from five perspectives-resource, environment, convenience, economy and governance. Then, taking Beijing as a case, one of the representative giant cities, this paper investigates and analyzes the development situation, feasibility, and adaptation of shared transportation. Compared with 2015, the share of cars decreased by more than 3.2%, and the trip frequency decreased by more than 55% for private car owners in 2016. Shared transportation reduced energy consumption, nitrogen emissions and PM 2.5 by 45 million liters of gasoline, 540,000 tons and 4.5 billion mg just in one year in Beijing in 2016. The results indicate that shared transportation has an important role and potential in alleviating traffic and environmental issues of mega-cities. A series of development suggestions and some practical considerations are provided at the end, which might supply good decision-making guidance for policy makers.
... Deveci et al. [5] applied fuzzy logic in the selection of a location for car sharing station. Some other techniques of fuzzy logic that were applied in car sharing systems are; fuzzy analytic hierarchy process and fuzzy technique for order preference by similarity to ideal solution [29], in which the car sharing choices are evaluated. Even though the uncertainties related to decision makers' opinions and preferences are handled via fuzzy-based applications there still is a gap in handling other stochastic parameters that affect the car sharing systems' efficiency and effectiveness, especially in location (station) selection problems. ...
As an important part of the sharing economy, the usage of car sharing increases world widely with the help of developments in the technology. Especially after COVID-19 the demand for private car ownership and car sharing systems increased tremendously. Therefore, its market share attracts new investors and causes existing service providers to enlarge their service area. In this article, a novel multi-objective location-dependent two-stage stochastic optimization model is proposed to determine the most appropriate locations for car sharing system and allocate the demand to these locations. The model is applied to determine the best locations among 15 candidates, and three objectives are considered, which are the minimization of total cost that comprises locating costs minus income from satisfying the demand, minimization of CO $_2$ emission occurs by the usage of car sharing system's cars and minimization of average unsatisfied demand. Both location-independent and location-dependent demands are taken into account. The proposed model delivers a more precise decision process framework for problems include stochasticity and multiobjectivity, and it easily can be implemented to any region, providing region sensitive parameters.
... Os impactos negativos desta influência têm seus aspectos mais claramente expostos (do ponto de vista das ciências sociais) através de medidas de exclusão social. Em uma interpretação indissociável, a literatura especializada aponta para medidas de acessibilidade como importantes (mas não únicos) indicadores de exclusão (Miller 2003;Keceli 2013;Litman 2012 Os indicadores levantados referem-se ao que a literatura chama de "Alfordability of public transport for poorest group" (Qu et al. 2017;Gillis et al. 2015), ou preço acessível das tarifa de transporte público para grupos economicamente desafiados. Traduzimos este indicados genérico na variável preço da tarifa (em R$), que no caso de fortaleza se refere a um valor fixo a todos os grupos sociais (no caso do ônibus); e no caso de outros transportes públicos (coletivos ou não) devem ser aplicados em referência ao grupo social estudado, ou seja, proporção da renda familiar mensal (% da renda, em R$). ...
Os objetivos deste relatório são:
1. Definição de um método de pesquisa, que permita a seleção objetiva de indicadores de impactos socioambientais relacionados à mobilidade elétrica;
2. Representação dos problemas a serem caracterizados, de modo a permitir a eficaz seleção de indicadores;
3. Seleção de indicadores aplicáveis aos problemas representados através de levantamento bibliográfico;
... Users locate and unlock a car by mobile applications and pay according to actual driving distance or time. In a C2C car-sharing service mode, a third-party service provider establishes a platform to deliver information to car owners and users, making the best use of vacant seats of a car by carrying more passengers [3]. ...
... Even though there is an increase in attention to emerging transportation modes, there are fewer EC studies from developing countries. Most of the carsharing research from developing countries has focused on market growth and operational aspects rather than the behavioral aspect [24][25][26][27][28]. Similar to other modes of transportation, acceptance of EC is also likely to vary according to cultural factors in different regions of the world. ...
Emerging electric carsharing (EC) systems have demonstrated their advantages and attracted public attention. The number of EC systems is growing throughout the world, especially in metropolitan areas in developing countries. For successful implementation, developers need to understand the public acceptance of EC services. In this study, we sought to determine the factors that affect EC acceptance in the context of developing countries. The study involved 437 individuals, aged between 18 and 65 years, who were randomly sampled from an EC service area in China. The determinants of EC acceptance were investigated based on an extended version of the Unified Theory of Acceptance and Use of Technology (UTAUT) and tested by using Structural Equation Modeling. The results indicated that hedonic motivation (HM) has a powerful effect on behavioral intention (BI) to use the EC service in the future. Performance expectancy (PE), effort expectancy (EE), and familiarity with the carsharing concept (FM) also influenced EC’s acceptance. However, the impact of social influence (SI) did not emerge from this study. The results also revealed that gender moderates the effects of EE and FM on BI. Age moderated the effect of FM on BI and unexpectedly moderated the impact of HM on BI. The present study confirmed the validity of the UTAUT research model in predicting the intention to use an EC system in developing countries. Implications and recommendations for government and EC developers are also discussed.
... The improved method does not need to carry out the consistency test, but also can greatly reduce the number of iterations and improve the convergence speed [8]. Actually, F-AHP has been widely used in multiple criteria evaluation and group decision making processes [9]. Kulak and Kahraman dealt with a multi-attribute transportation company selection for effective supply chain using both fuzzy multi-attribute axiomatic design and F-AHP [10]. ...
In the ridesourcing industry, drivers are often unable to quickly and accurately locate the waiting position of riders, but patrol or wait on the road, which will seriously affect the management of the road traffic order. It may be a good idea to provide an online virtual site for the taxi to facilitate convergence of the rider and driver. The concept of recommended pick-up point is presented in this paper. At present, ridesourcing service platforms on the market have similar functions, but they do not take into account whether the setting of the pick-up point is compatible with the actual traffic environment, resulting in some problems. We have invented a method to select the recommended pick-up point by integrating various traffic influencing factors, so as to ensure that the setting of the pick-up point is compatible with the actual traffic situation, which consists of three steps. Firstly, we studied the rider’s maximum tolerable waiting time and defined an attractive walking range for riders based on the huge amount of data. In the second step, we analyzed spatial distribution characteristics of the taxi demand hotspot and determined candidate pick-up locations. Lastly, the fuzzy analytic hierarchy method was used to select the recommended pick-up point that is most conducive to traffic management from multiple candidate points. A case study was conducted to validate the proposed approach and experimental evidence showed that recommended results based on the approach are in line with the actual situation of the road, and conducive to road traffic management. This recommendation method is based on real ridesourcing orders data.
... And they found that a car-sharing service can save the costs of members, reduce of travel related CO 2 emission and rise the sustainable transportation modes. Qu M et al. [25] developed an improved three-step approach to evaluate the car-sharing options under uncertain environments, and the research results demonstrate the approach is capable of evaluating car-sharing options with uncertainty and vagueness. ...
Electric vehicle sharing (EVS) and bike sharing have been recognized as promising solutions to growingly serious problems of traffic congestion, air pollution, and insufficient parking spaces. This paper, based on the current research status, analyzes and evaluates the effect of shared transportation on alleviating or solving the traffic and environmental issues of mega-cities from five perspectives-resource, environment, convenience, economy and governance. Then, taking Beijing as a case, one of the representative giant cities, this paper investigates and analyzes the development situation, feasibility, and adaptation of shared transportation. Compared with 2015, the share of cars decreased by more than 3.2%, and the trip frequency decreased by more than 55% for private car owners in 2016. Shared transportation reduced energy consumption, nitrogen emissions and PM 2.5 by 45 million liters of gasoline, 540,000 tons and 4.5 billion mg just in one year in Beijing in 2016. The results indicate that shared transportation has an important role and potential in alleviating traffic and environmental issues of mega-cities. A series of development suggestions and some practical considerations are provided at the end, which might supply good decision-making guidance for policy makers.
... meet the requirements of the city traffic network's layout, and it should be convenient for drivers to arrange their travelingXu, Liu, Lin, and Yuan (2017),Qu, Yu, and Yu (2017),Wang, Xu, Wen, and Wong (2013) Scale of construction and peripheral population density (C 32 ) Considers the scale of EVCS and the distribution features of the charging demands for EVCSLiu et al. (2013),Kou et al. (2010) Service radius(C 33 ) Measures the actual distance between two adjacent electric vehicle charging stationsWu et al. (2016),Zhao and Li (2016) Harmonization of EVCS with urban development and state grid planning (C 34 )Refers to the coordination with main artery, inlet and outlet, residential areas, urban main functional areas, and the stable supply of electric powerGuo and Zhao (2015),Zhao and Li (2016) Technology(C 4 ) Reliability in the future (C 41 ) Measures the resistance and robustness of the alternative EVCS site to changes of external conditions in the future On-the-spot investigation Possibility of offering suitable services to the drivers at the EVCS in the future (C 42 ) Measures the possibility of offering suitable services to the drivers at the EVCS in the future On-the-spot investigation Security and ability to deal with emergency in the future (C 43 ) Measures the ability to deal with emergency and the security of the EVCS, including fireproofing facility, electric bonding as well as flood control equipment On-the-spot investigation Y. Ju et al. Computers & Industrial Engineering xxx (xxxx) xxx-xxx proposed based on the extended grey relational projection method and the FAHP technique. ...
Electric vehicle charging station (EVCS) site selection problem plays an important role in promoting electric vehicle industry development. The purpose of EVCS site selection is to find optimal location considering some conflicting criteria. To handle the uncertainty of information in EVCS site selection problem, the picture fuzzy set (PFS) is a good choice, which is characterized by three functions: the degree of positive membership, the degree of neutral membership and the degree of negative membership. In this paper, an effective comprehensive framework is proposed to evaluate and select the optimal EVCS site under picture fuzzy environment. Firstly, from the perspective of sustainability, some main criteria and corresponding sub-criteria are determined by reference to the existing literature and experiences of experts. Secondly, some operational laws of picture fuzzy numbers (PFNs) are defined and the picture fuzzy weighted interaction geometric (PFWIG) operator is developed. Thirdly, fuzzy analytic hierarchy process (FAHP) technique is utilized to determine the weights of criteria and the local weights of corresponding sub-criteria before comprehensive picture fuzzy decision matrix is further constructed based on the developed PFWIG operator. Afterwards, the traditional grey relational projection (GRP) method is extended to calculate the relative grey relational projection of each EVCS site. Thus, all EVCS sites are ranked and the most desirable one(s) can be selected. Finally, an empirical example about EVCS site selection in Beijing is given to illustrate the application of the proposed framework. The results indicate that the proposed framework is useful for identifying suitable EVCS site among the potential charging stations.
... Also, to our knowledge, although there has been fuzzy methods used in car-sharing problems in the literature, there is still an area of improvement which can refine and enhance the consideration of inherent uncertainty in decision-making. Qu et al., (2017) develops an improved approach to assess car sharing options under uncertain environments by using Fuzzy Analytic Hierarchy Process (F-AHP) and Fuzzy Technique for Order Preference A C C E P T E D M A N U S C R I P T by Similarity to Ideal Solution (F-TOPSIS). However, the study could use interval fuzzy type-2 instead of type-1 to better capture the uncertainty. ...
Car sharing is an important element of sharing economy, which is becoming more and more widespread in the world. Therefore, service providers would like to expand their capacities and market shares by adding new car sharing stations. In this study, a new model is proposed to provide a simple approach to evaluate potential car sharing stations for site selection problem. A Weighted Aggregated Sum Product Assessment (WASPAS) based Technique for Order Preference by Similarity to Ideal Solution (TOPSIS) with interval type-2 fuzzy multi-criteria decision making (MCDM) model is proposed. Interval type-2 fuzzy sets (IT2FS) are used to better address uncertainty in describing membership and non-membership functions. The proposed method is utilized in a case study of Istanbul, which involves determining the best location for a new car-sharing station among four alternatives. The method provides a more accurate decision-making tool for problems involving high levels of uncertainty.
Die globale Textilindustrie trägt sowohl zu sozialen als auch ökologischen Missständen
bei. Durch ein zunehmendes Überangebot von Kleidung entstehen über den gesamten
Lebenszyklus große Mengen Emissionen und Abfälle. Das Mieten von Freizeitkleidung
für einen beschränkten Zeitraum ist ein zunehmend aufkommendes Geschäftsmodell,
das dazu beitragen kann, den Wunsch der Kundinnen nach abwechslungsreicher Kleidung zu erfüllen und gleichzeitig die Anzahl gekaufter Kleidungsstücke verringern kann.
Diese Arbeit untersucht die Umweltauswirkungen des Mietens von Freizeitkleidung, einem nutzungsorientieren Product-Service System, mit Hilfe von zwei Life Cycle Assessment Studien sowie systematischer Literaturstudien und qualitativer Betrachtungen. Darüber hinaus schlägt sie einen methodischen Ansatz zur Untersuchung der Umweltauswirkungen solcher Geschäftsmodelle vor. Anhand von 54 Szenarien werden Fashionistas als die Zielgruppe identifiziert, deren Umweltauswirkungen sich bei Adaption eines Mietmodells signifikant reduzieren. Weitere Ansatzpunkte sind die Nutzung eines privaten PKW sowie die Wäschepflege.
Electric vehicle deployment shows promising potentials in promoting cleaner energy utilization and reducing carbon emission. Due to increasing carbon neutral pressure and market competition from transportation sector, government agencies and public bodies (GAPBs) have emphasized the significance of electric vehicle adoption through supplier selection. Consequently, GAPBs must consider a reasonable criteria system and a comprehensive supplier selection framework and rationally select the electric vehicle supplier that matches their practical needs in terms of economic, social, environmental, and technical factors. This paper provides insights into electric vehicle supplier selection (EVSS) from the perspective of GAPBs using an integrated multi-criteria decision-making (MCDM) framework based on best–worst method (BWM) and fuzzy ViseKriterijumska Optimizacija I Kompromisno Resenje (VIKOR). Initially, 14 critical factors from economic, social, environmental, and technical dimensions are identified as the criteria by literature review and experts’ opinions. Then, a comprehensive decision framework using the integrated MCDM approach is proposed. To validate the applicability and feasibility of the proposed framework, a case study is launched and analyzed. It emerges that bad environmental record, cost, quality, service, and environmental initiatives are the most important criteria in EVSS for GAPBs with the weight values of 0.1995, 0.1172, 0.1219, 0.0708, and 0.2553. The comparative analysis and the sensitivity analysis are performed for verifying the reliability of the proposed framework. The work helps to understand the electric vehicle supplier selection criteria and makes methodological decision-making support for GAPBs.
The application of the concept of shared mobility can mitigate numerous negative impacts of urban transportation and improve the city’s sustainability. This study aims to address and solve the problem of prioritizing sustainable mobility sharing systems to promote sustainability and foster the concept of shared mobility. Four sustainable mobility sharing systems are proposed. They are electric vehicle (EV) sharing, autonomous EV sharing, e-bike sharing, and e-scooter sharing systems. A multi-level practical framework, including four clusters and 20 criteria offers a primer on how city authorities should evaluate mobility sharing systems in real-life settings. Also, this research introduces an advanced decision-making model to prioritize sustainable mobility sharing systems. The model integrates the DIBR (Defining Interrelationships Between Ranked criteria) method and the EDAS (Evaluation based on Distance from Average Solution) method in a fuzzy-rough environment. A case study of Belgrade, Serbia, is provided to offer decision-making guidelines in a real-world context. The practical findings show that “e-bike sharing” is an advantageous alternative in the context of Belgrade. The integrated fuzzy DIBR and fuzzy-rough EDAS model could serve as a powerful tool for rational and objective solving not only the newly addressed problem but also other emerging decision-making problems related to sustainable cities.
Faced with heavy vehicular traffic at present, the strategic implementation of Bike Sharing Systems (BSSs) in cities as an alternative means of transport for users is increasingly being adopted. These solutions reduce the environmental burden posed by other means of transportation, decrease costs for citizens, improves people's health due to physical activity, among other advantages. However, aspects such as the definition of bike stations’ locations represent a challenge when these solutions are being implemented. Therefore, this paper presents a software tool design that supports a method that defines the location and number of stations within a BSS. Also, the tool uses a data-driven optimization model to establish the location of stations. Finally, a case study carried out in Cuenca—Ecuador, demonstrates the proposal's feasibility, showing a significant concordance with the consulting firms-consortia results (70–90% of coincidence) at a lower cost.KeywordsBike sharing systemPublic bike systemOptimizationPollutantsData-driven
A comprehensive evaluation indicator system is the basis of car sharing systems (CSS) evaluation. The purpose of this study is to introduce the principles and methods of indicator selection for CSS, and to identify indicators for evaluating car sharing systems due to the reason that the importance of indicators can never be overestimated in CSS evaluation. A framework to identify indicators for evaluating CSS is proposed with four steps. First of all, the structure for indicator selection is established with application of AHP method. Secondly, adequacy check and redundancy check are carried out to ensure the structure is adequate and redundant. Thirdly, underlying individual indicators are proposed according to questionnaires. Fourthly, to ensure the necessity, identification, and feasibility of indicators, we conduct N-I-F check. We carry out a case study of CSS evaluation indicators to validate the proposed framework from four dimensions: economic, environmental, systematic, and social. The proposed framework is quantitative and it is helpful in CSS evaluation to identify proper indicators and find out the best CSS option.
The user experience is a main determinant of the user satisfaction of car-sharing services. This research aims at investigating the users and their experience of using shared cars through interview and questionnaire survey. 14 influencing factors are extracted from literature research and user research. The depth interviews are deployed with Decision-Making Trial and Evaluation Laboratory (DEMATEL) questionnaires to evaluate the influencing directions and the degrees of the interactions among the 14 influencing factors of user experience in car sharing service. The findings show that three factors including “vehicle efficiency”, “supporting service facilities” and “pricing model”, are the three key factors influencing the satisfaction degree of the using experience. “Vehicle condition and performance”, “complete supporting service facilities” and “vehicle service safety” have greater impact on other influencing factors. “Value identity”, “brand and visual presentation” and “fun and novelty” are mainly affected by other factors. Based on the influence relationship and experience level of each factor, 14 factors are summarized into three levels: availability, easy-using and enjoyment. A user satisfaction optimization model of shared car travel service is proposed, aiming at providing a feasible way to enhance the user experience of car sharing service.
Electric vehicle timeshare rental is a form of sustainable transportation and is growing in popularity around the world. An analysis of the present situation is thus useful for transport management and planning. The study reported in this paper aimed to clarify the usage and operation of electric vehicle timeshare rental schemes in Beijing, China, including mobility patterns, pricing structure, willingness and factors affecting satisfaction through data analysis and questionnaires. The results showed that users had distinctive socio-demographic attributes. Mobility patterns represented a regularity in both time and space, and the pricing structure was a significant factor affecting the users’ opinions. Eight factors, including age and cost, showed strong correlation with user satisfaction. It is concluded that electric vehicle timeshare rental is a promising travel mode that could replace private cars and promote the development of electric vehicles. The results of this study can contribute to programming and management of electric vehicle timeshare rental schemes in the future.
In this paper (a substantial extension of the short version presented at REM2016 on April 19–21, Maldives [1]), multi-objective power dispatching is discussed in the scope of microgrids located in smart cities. The proposed system considers the use of Plug-in Electric Vehicle (PEV) and Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV) as storage units. The problem involves distinct types of vehicles and a community, composed of small houses, residential areas and different Renewable Energy Resources. In order to highlight possibilities for power dispatching, the optimization of three distinct goals is considered in the analysis: mini/microgrid total costs; usage of vehicles batteries; and maximum grid peak load. Sets of non-dominated solutions are obtained using a mathematical programming based heuristic (Matheuristic). By analyzing cases of study composed with up to 70 vehicles, we emphasize that PEVs and UAVs can effectively contribute for renewable energy integration into mini/microgrid systems. Smart cities policy makers and citizens are suggested to consider the proposed tool for supporting decision making for cities under development, guiding their choices for future investments on renewable energy resources.
The role of sustainable mobility and its impact on society and the environment is evident and recognized worldwide. Nevertheless, although there is a growing number of measures and projects that deal with sustainable mobility issues, it is not so easy to compare their results and, so far, there is no globally applicable set of tools and indicators that ensure holistic evaluation and facilitate replicability of the best practices. In this paper, based on the extensive literature review, we give a systematic overview of relevant and scientifically sound indicators that cover different aspects of sustainable mobility that are applicable in different social and economic contexts around the world. Overall, 22 sustainable mobility indicators have been selected and an overview of the applied measures described across the literature review has been presented.
All larger cities worldwide suffer under the high number of cars. Congestion and low environmental quality lead to problems for the social and economic well-being of cities and their citizens. Innovative solutions are required to reduce the huge consumption of public street space for parking. The smart solution of Car-Sharing (or car clubs as they are called in the UK) reduces the needs to own a car. Car-Sharing gives you access to a car without ownership. Electronically controlled 24/7 access, decentralised stations (with reserved parking spots) and a variety of vehicles provide a reliable, flexible and cost-efficient alternative to car ownership and supplement a good provision of the sustainable modes of walking, cycling and public transport. Car-Sharing could also serve as part of strategies to implement alternatively fuelled cars with limited range, size, etc. – as the availability of a variety of vehicles in a wider mobility concept allows one to choose the mode and the car that best fits the purpose of travel. Despite its huge prospect, the exploitation of the potential is not (yet?) subject of any major European research programmes.
In this study, the market potential of car sharing has been evaluated using multiple alternative scenarios which examine the geographic, financial and environmental factors influencing car sharing adoption. The scenarios are applied to the available and collected travel information of the Irish population to estimate the potential impact of introducing car sharing in Ireland. The analysis identified that car owners who travel predominantly on alternative modes, could make significant cost and CO2 savings through car sharing. A reduction of yearly CO2 emissions of 86 kt is readily achievable through car sharing, with reductions up to 895 kt possible with appropriate policy and financial support. These figures are comparable to other measures proposed under the Irish National Climate Change Strategy.
A new business model, product service systems, is proposed to promote a shift in focus from selling purely products to selling functions. This is achieved through a mix of products and services that fulfill the same consumer demands, while eliciting less environmental impact. Development of product service systems has become an increasingly important strategy in achieving social, economic, and environmental sustainability because product service systems advocates reducing resource consumption, while delivering better and more widely available goods and services. This paper proposes an evaluation framework of sustainable performance to implement product service systems. A literature review discusses 32 criteria categorized into two aspects: product and organization. The fuzzy Delphi method is then applied to identify the consistency of criteria. The relative weights of the selected criteria are determined using Fuzzy analytic hierarchy process. Results indicate that the top three criteria in product aspect are maintenance system (weight = 0.172), use time or frequency (weight = 0.145), and price of the product (weight = 0.132). For the organization aspect, the top three criteria are integrated service plan (weight = 0.197), product development and design (weight = 0.144) and optimized transportation network (weight = 0.089). The demand for implementing product service systems is completely different from selling traditional goods because product service systems must consider the issue of sustainability. The proposed evaluation framework can help companies identify the potential products suitable in implementing product service systems.
During last years, ICTs have enabled the rise of the so-called “collaborative consumption” (CC) – a form of consumption where people share goods and services online. CC has been expected to alleviate societal problems such as hyper-consumption, pollution, and poverty by lowering cost of economic coordination within communities. However, beyond anecdotal evidence, there is a dearth of understanding why people participate in CC. Therefore, in this paper we investigate people’s motivations to participate in CC. The study employs survey data (N=168) gathered from people registered into a collaborative consumption site. The results show that participation in collaborative consumption is motivated by many factors such as its sustainability, enjoyment of the activity as well as economic gains. An interesting detail in the result is that sustainability is not directly associated with participation unless it at the same time is also associated with positive attitudes towards CC. This suggests that sustainability might only be an important factor for those people for whom ecological consumption is important. Furthermore, the results suggest that in CC an attitude-behavior gap might loom; people perceive the activity positively and say good things about it, but this good attitude does not necessary translate into action.
The paper presents a comprehensive investigation of the behaviour of carsharing members through the analysis of administrative datasets of a dominant carsharing program in Toronto. The key objective of the investigation is to enhance our understanding on carsharing behaviour in the City of Toronto. Unlike other studies on carsharing, this paper intends to build a comprehensive understanding of the multiple dimensions of users' behaviour including attitude towards environment, attitude towards safety, frequency of usage, membership duration, vehicle type choice and monthly demand, in terms of total vehicle-kilometre and vehicle-hour travel. The paper uses both descriptive and econometric approaches for in-depth investigations. One of the key contributions of the paper is linking carsharing with carbon offsetting. Investigations reveal that carsharing members are in general environmentally conscious people and are willing to pay for carbon offsetting if given an option. However, having the carbon offsetting option also encouraged a higher amount of driving per month. Results show that carsharing is most often used for off-peak period travel or on weekends, when transit service is poor and traffic congestion is low. The majority of trips made by carsharing members are short-distance trips. It is clear that carsharing is providing a segment of the population with enhanced accessibility and mobility and thus playing an important role in providing a seamless, integrated transportation service in the City of Toronto.
Smartphone technology enables dynamic ride-sharing systems that bring together people with similar itineraries and time schedules to share rides on short-notice. This paper considers the problem of matching drivers and riders in this dynamic setting. We develop optimization-based approaches that aim at minimizing the total system-wide vehicle miles incurred by system users, and their individual travel costs. To assess the merits of our methods we present a simulation study based on 2008 travel demand data from metropolitan Atlanta. The simulation results indicate that the use of sophisticated optimization methods instead of simple greedy matching rules substantially improve the performance of ride-sharing systems. Furthermore, even with relatively low participation rates, it appears that sustainable populations of dynamic ride-sharing participants may be possible even in relatively sprawling urban areas with many employment centers.
This paper provides guidance on the selection of indicators for comprehensive and sustainable transportation planning. It discusses the concept of sustainability and the role of indicators in planning, describes factors to consider when selecting indicators, identifies potential problems with conventional indicators, describes examples of indicators and indicator sets, and provides recommendations for selecting indicators for use in a particular situation.
Addressing the sustainability of transportation systems is an important activity as evidenced by a growing number of initiatives around the world to define and measure sustainability in transportation planning and infrastructure provision. This paper reviews major initiatives in North America, Europe, and Oceania. The purpose is to characterize the emergent thinking on what constitutes transportation sustainability and how to measure it. While there is no standard definition for transportation system sustainability, it is largely being defined through impacts of the system on the economy, environment, and general social well-being; and measured by system effectiveness and efficiency, and the impacts of the system on the natural environment. Frameworks based on important causal relationships between infrastructure and the broader environment, infrastructure impacts on the economy, environment, and social well-being; and the relative influence of agencies over causal factors, are largely being used to develop and determine indicator systems for measuring sustainability in transportation systems. Process-based approaches involve community representatives and other stakeholders in planning and present opportunities to educate the public and influence collective behaviors. These frameworks can be used collectively to help agencies refine their visions as well as develop policies, planning procedures, and measurement and monitoring systems for achieving sustainable transportation systems.
A supplier selection decision inherently is a multi-criterion problem. It is a decision of strategic importance to companies. The nature of this decision usually is complex and unstructured. Management science techniques might be helpful tools for these kinds of decision-making problems. The aim of this paper is to use fuzzy analytic hierarchy process (AHP) to select the best supplier firm providing the most satisfaction for the criteria determined. The purchasing managers of a white good manufacturer established in Turkey were interviewed and the most important criteria taken into account by the managers while they were selecting their supplier firms were determined by a questionnaire. The fuzzy AHP was used to compare these supplier firms.
Utilising cost benefit analysis techniques, in exactly the same way as the UK Government evaluates new roads and public transport schemes (i.e. COBA), car-sharing can be shown to produce very high net benefits to society. This paper shows that if a scheme were to be set up in the West Midlands area, UK, then even with the most conservative estimates of car-share participation, net benefits would be comparable to those produced by major road schemes. Indeed, slightly less conservative estimates of participation give net benefits in excess of road schemes.
The hydrogen economy is seeking its killer application, which can break down the ‘chicken and egg problem’, i.e., no hydrogen powered car can be sold if it cannot be refueled, and nobody will invest to a hydrogen refueling station if no one has a hydrogen powered vehicle. The applications like material handling, backup-power, and small stationary combined heat and power (CHP) engines are the most promising candidates, which may show financial return in 3–5 years. The replacement of fossil fuel with hydrogen in the automotive industry offers a substantial reduction of the harmful environmental effects, however, it is still the most challenging because of the absence of the hydrogen infrastructure, the price and the lifetime of the fuel cell (FC) engine and the unsuitable regulations, as well. In this work a new possible market was identified and analyzed in different points of view. This market segment is a car-sharing system operating with small urban vehicles, which not only can solve some environmental problems (e.g., air pollution and CO2 emission), but also helps to reduce congestion, secure energy supply and ease its distribution. First, a sensitivity analysis was done and the key performance indicators of the system were determined. The financial return of a hydrogen-based car-sharing system was examined carefully as a function of the rated power of the fuel cell power train, the way of hydrogen supply, the cost of the hydrogen and the size of the car fleet. Finally, a possible hydrogen-based car-sharing service was designed and optimized to the downtown of Budapest, Hungary. A sustainable system was proposed, which can satisfy the needs of the business (i.e., profitability) and the environment.
Sustainable transportation systems are the need of modern times. There has been an unexpected growth in the number of transportation activities over years and the trend is expected to continue in the coming years. This has obviously associated environmental costs like air pollution, noise, etc. which is degrading the quality of life in modern cities. To cope us this crisis, municipal administrations are investing in sustainable transportation systems that are not only efficient, robust and economical but also friendly towards environment. The challenge before the transportation decision makers is how to evaluate and select such sustainable transportation systems. In this paper, we present a multicriteria decision making approach for selecting sustainability transportation systems under partial or incomplete information (uncertainty). The proposed approach comprises of three steps. In step 1, we identify the criteria for sustainability assessment of transportation. In step 2, experts provide linguistic ratings to the potential alternatives against the selected criteria. Fuzzy TOPSIS is used to generate aggregate scores for sustainability assessment and selection of best alternative. In step 3, sensitivity analysis is performed to determine the influence of criteria weights on the decision making process. A numerical illustration is provided to demonstrate the applicability of the approach.The strength of the proposed work is its practical applicability and the ability to generate good quality solutions under uncertainty.
In this paper we analyze the applicability of the TOPSIS method to support the process of building the scoring system for negotiation offers in ill-structured negotiations. When discussing the ill-structured negotiation problem we consider two major issues: the imprecisely defined negotiation space, and the vagueness of the negotiator's preferences that cannot be defined by means of crisp values. First we introduce the traditional fuzzy TOPSIS model showing the alternative ways of normalizing the data and measuring the distances, which allows to avoid the problem of ranking reversals. Then we formalize ill-structured negotiations using a model which allows the negotiation problem to be defined in a simplified way by means of the aspiration and reservation levels only. Such a definition requires changes in the traditional fuzzy TOPSIS algorithm the development of a mechanism for scoring the offers that fall outside of the negotiation space defined independently and subjectively by the negotiator. We propose three different approaches to handle this problem, that keep the scoring system stable and unchanged throughout the whole negotiation process.
Management science is a discipline dedicated to the development of techniques that enable decision makers to cope with the increasing complexity of our world. The early burst of excitement which was spawned by the development and successful applications of linear programming to problems in both the public and private sectors has challenged researchers to develop even more sophisticated methods to deal with the complex nature of decision making. Sophistication, however, does not always translate into more complex mathematics. Professor Thomas L. Saaty was working for the U.S. Defense Department and for the U.S. Department of State in the late 1960s and early 1970s. In these positions, Professor Saaty was exposed to some of the most complex decisions facing the world: arms control, the Middle East problem, and the development of a transport system for a Third-World country. While having made major contributions to numerous areas of mathematics and the theory of operations research, he soon realized that one did not need complex mathematics to come to grips with these decision problems, just the right mathematics! Thus, Professor Saaty set out to develop a mathematically-based technique for analyzing complex situations which was sophisticated in its simplicity.
This study aims at improving the quality and effectiveness of concept evaluation in the early phases of new product development. New product concept evaluation has long been recognised as one of the most crucial decisions for the success of product development, because it has significant impact on the downstream development activities. However, evaluating new product concept is a process involving subjectivity and vagueness. In order to manipulate this problem, a novel decision approach for selecting more rational new product concepts is proposed. Basically, two stages of evaluation process are described: the computation of evaluation criteria weights for new product alternatives and the selection of the most appropriate concept. These stages are composed of a hybrid approach based on a rough group analytic hierarchy process (AHP) method and a rough group technique for order of preference by similarity to ideal solution (TOPSIS) method. The novel approach integrates the strength of rough number in handling vagueness, the advantage of AHP in hierarchy evaluation and the merit of TOPSIS in modelling multi-criteria decision-making. Finally, an application in mini-fridge concept evaluation is given to demonstrate the potential of the methodology.
Although the notion of product-service system (PSS) has been highlighted to design a promising and practical products or services, researchers have little interests on the validation of operation models in successfully delivering the services to customers. In particular, the success of a service model can be difficult to be decided because the judgment of service providers and customers are inevitably considered. Thus, this paper aims at developing a simulation tool based on fuzzy classification, which can evaluate the performance of service models in a carsharing system. The fuzzy classification is applied to derive a service model that provides the highest income for service providers and the best service for customers. For this, this paper devises 36 service models that combine various options of carsharing service by considering relocation techniques and trip types (for example, one-way or roundtrip). In addition, a simulation algorithm is run to analyze the performance of various carsharing service models. Finally, the performance of all models is compared by three criteria (average profit per day, car utilization ratio and reservation acceptance ratio) for the aforementioned service models. A case of carsharing service in Seoul is investigated to illustrate the proposed simulation tool. This approach is expected to provide a useful tool for carsharing managers who are in charge of prioritizing the best service model before implementing the service in a realistic situation.
Measuring the sustainability of car fleets, an important task in developing transport policy, can be accomplished with an appropriate set of indicators. We applied the Process Analysis Method of sustainability assessment to generate an indicator set in a systematic and transparent way, that is consistent with a declared definition of a sustainable transport system. Our method identifies stakeholder groups, the full range of impacts across the environmental, economic and human/social domains of sustainability, and those who generate and receive those impacts. Car users are shown by the analysis to have dual roles, both as individual makers of decisions and as beneficiaries/sufferers of the impacts resulting from communal choice. Thus car users, through their experience of service quality, are a potential force for system change. Our method addresses many of the well-known flaws in measuring transport sustainability. The indicator set created is independent of national characteristics and will be useful to transport policy practitioners and sustainable mobility researchers globally.
Transportation has significant and long lasting economical, social and environmental impacts, and so is an important dimension of urban sustainability. Some attempts have been made to develop sustainable transport indicators, STI. A few studies actually apply STI to compare sustainability among various world cities. In this paper various world cities ranked in terms of urban sustainable transport composite index.The study database is created from UITP databank: “Millennium cities database for sustainable mobility” or MCDST. Firstly sustainable transportation indicators were selected by reviewing past researches. Some indicators are edited or redefined. Consequently 9 STI were developed, 3 indicators in each 3 groups of environmental, economical and social. Then composite index was also suggested by combination of 9 standardized indicators. According to composite index various cities were compared. Finally some important factors affecting urban transportation sustainability were determined by using correlation analyses between composite index and cities characterizes.
New emphases on livability and sustainability are creating demands for measuring and applying these concepts in transportation policy and planning. However, livability and sustainability are complex, multidimensional concepts that require careful measurement if they are to be applied meaningfully in plan evaluation and benchmarking. This paper provides a framework for constructing and applying quantitative livability and sustainability indicators. In addition to critically reviewing principles of constructing indicators describing a multidimensional concept such as livability or sustainability, we also discuss methods for capturing local context, a critical feature for transportation planning. Specifically, we review methods for incorporating diverse stakeholder perspectives into indicator construction and spatial analytic tools for geographic entities and relationships. We also discuss spatial decision support systems and the Geodesign concept for organizing these tools and technologies as well as integrating livability indicators into the overall planning process.
By 2020, Korea has set itself the challenging target of reducing nationwide greenhouse gas emissions by 30%, more than the BAU (Business as Usual) scenario, as the implementation goal required to achieve the new national development paradigm of green growth. To achieve such a target, it is necessary to diffuse innovative technologies with the capacity to drastically reduce greenhouse gas emissions. To that end, the ripple effect of diffusing innovative technologies on the energy and environment must be quantitatively analyzed using an energy system analysis model such as the MARKAL (Market Allocation) model. However, energy system analysis models based on an optimization methodology have certain limitations in that a technology with superior cost competitiveness dominates the whole market and non-cost factors cannot be considered. Therefore, this study proposes a new methodology for overcoming problems associated with the use of MARKAL models, by interfacing with a forecasting model based on the discrete-choice model. The new methodology was applied to green car technology to verify its usefulness and to study the ripple effects of green car technology on greenhouse gas reduction. The results of this study can be used as a reference when establishing a strategy for effectively reducing greenhouse gas emissions in the transportation sector, and could be of assistance to future studies using the energy system analysis model.
Faced with a choice of different transport projects, such as road or rail infrastructure projects, which project is the most sustainable? We suggest a relatively simple and transparent evaluation method for such projects. First, transport issues within the sustainable development framework must be addressed, bearing in mind the strong meaning of the term, which is the only concept allowing environmental issues to be taken seriously into account. It also means linking local and global aspects, long and short terms, and thus to specify the time and geographical scales of projects and their impacts. Secondly, we put forward these main principles as evaluation criteria enabling the sustainable development concept to be made operational. We suggest three economic criteria, four social criteria and eleven environmental criteria, in addition to an aggregation method for these criteria integrating the social or political preferences of decision-makers or their representatives. A concern that is often significant in transport projects is the future of traffic mobility, whose main parameters we have analysed in order to put forward probable scenarios, which form the basis for applying the criteria listed above.
Function-oriented business models or product–service systems (PSSs) are often seen as an excellent means for achieving ‘factor 4’. SusProNet, an EU network on PSSs, showed a more complicated reality. At least eight different types of PSS exist, with quite diverging economic and environmental characteristics. The economic potential of each type was evaluated in terms of (i) tangible and intangible value for the user, (ii) tangible costs and risk premium for the provider, (iii) capital/investment needs and (iv) issues such as the providers' position in the value chain and client relations. The environmental potential was evaluated by checking the relevance of certain impact reduction mechanisms (e.g. more intensive use of capital goods, inherent incentives for sustainable user and provider behaviour etc.). Most PSS types will result in marginal environmental improvements at best. The exception is the PSS type known as functional results, but here liability and risk premium issues, amongst others, need a solution. Copyright © 2004 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd and ERP Environment.
The concept of car sharing is introduced as an innovative approach to the growing transportation problems of the major metropolitan areas of the United States. After the history of car sharing in Europe and North America is outlined, three studies of the early adopters of Car Sharing Portland (CSP), the first commercial car-sharing organization in the United States, are reported. Study 1 found that these individuals were primarily motivated to join CSP because of their occasional need for a vehicle, and secondarily because of the financial savings they expected to realize by becoming members. Study 2 found that the two most important predictors of CSP trip usage were distance to the nearest vehicle station and length of membership, and that both factors had more influence on vehicle owners than on nonowners. Study 3 found that although members did not drive fewer vehicle miles after they joined CSP, 26% sold their personal vehicles and 53% were able to avoid an intended purchase. In addition, a majority of members reported increasing use of public transit, walking, and cycling. The results are discussed in terms of the potential environmental consequences of car sharing and the effects of the car-sharing experience on mobility behavior.
The purpose of this paper is the discussion of the environmental effects of a free-floating car-sharing system operating in Ulm, Germany. The system, called car2go, allows users to take and leave vehicles at any point within the city limits. Thus opposed to traditional car-sharing, there are no fixed stations and in particular one-way trips of any length are possible without a booking requirement. Since this is the first free-floating system in operation, there is as yet no associated empirical research. Based on primary data from a survey, a model was developed to forecast the environmental impact of car2go. The prognosis considers the period of five years after the launch of car2go in 2009 and indicates a CO2-reduction per average car2go-user. In addition, more than a quarter of the survey respondents stated that they may forgo a car purchase if car2go was offered permanently. By reaching a greater share of citizens than traditional systems, the results indicate that free-floating car-sharing systems could contribute to reducing private vehicle ownership in cities.
Multiple criteria decision-making (MCDM) research has developed rapidly and has become a main area of research for dealing with complex decision problems. The purpose of the paper is to explore the performance evaluation model. This paper develops an evaluation model based on the fuzzy analytic hierarchy process and the technique for order performance by similarity to ideal solution, fuzzy TOPSIS, to help the industrial practitioners for the performance evaluation in a fuzzy environment where the vagueness and subjectivity are handled with linguistic values parameterized by triangular fuzzy numbers. The proposed method enables decision analysts to better understand the complete evaluation process and provide a more accurate, effective, and systematic decision support tool.
This paper proposes a new approach for tackling the uncertainty and imprecision of the service evaluation process. Identifying suitable service offers, evaluating the offers and choosing the best alternatives are activities that set the scene for the consequent stages in negotiations and influence in a unique manner the following deliberations. The pre-negotiation problem in negotiations over services is regarded as decision-making under uncertainty, based on multiple criteria of quantitative and qualitative nature, where the imprecise decision-maker’s judgements are represented as fuzzy numbers. A new fuzzy modification of the analytic hierarchy process is applied as an evaluation technique. The proposed fuzzy prioritisation method uses fuzzy pairwise comparison judgements rather than exact numerical values of the comparison ratios and transforms the initial fuzzy prioritisation problem into a non-linear program. Unlike the known fuzzy prioritisation techniques, the proposed method derives crisp weights from consistent and inconsistent fuzzy comparison matrices, which eliminates the need of additional aggregation and ranking procedures. A detailed numerical example, illustrating the application of our approach to service evaluation is given.
The purpose of this paper is to extend the TOPSIS method based on interval-valued fuzzy sets in decision analysis. Hwang and Yoon developed the technique for order preference by similarity to ideal solution (TOPSIS) in 1981. TOPSIS has been widely used to rank the preference order of alternatives and determine the optimal choice. Considering the fact that it is difficult to precisely attach the numerical measures to the relative importance of the attributes and to the impacts of the alternatives on these attributes in some cases, therefore, the TOPSIS method has been extended for interval-valued fuzzy data in this paper. In addition, a comprehensive experimental analysis to observe the interval-valued fuzzy TOPSIS results yielded by different distance measures is presented. A comparative analysis of interval-valued fuzzy TOPSIS rankings from each distance measure is illustrated with discussions on consistency rates, contradiction rates, and average Spearman correlation coefficients. Finally, a second-order regression model is provided to highlight the effects of the number of alternatives, the number of attributes, and distance measures on average Spearmen correlation coefficients.
This paper presents a fuzzy multi-criteria analysis approach for selecting of planning and design (P&D) alternatives in public office building. The Fuzzy Analytic Hierarchy Process (FAHP) method is used to determine the weightings for evaluation criteria among decision makers, including owners group, users group and experts group. The subjectivity and vagueness in the alternatives selection process is dealt with by using fuzzy numbers for linguistic terms. Incorporated the decision makers' attitude towards preference, a crisp overall performance value is obtained for each alternative based on the concept of Fuzzy Multiple Criteria Decision Making (FMCDM). A case study consisting of five alternatives, solicited from a public works agency in Taiwan, illustrates the effectiveness of the proposed approach.
One of the fundamental tenets of modern science is that a phenomenon cannot be claimed to be well understood until it can be characterized in quantitative terms.l Viewed in this perspective, much of what constitutes the core of scientific knowledge may be regarded as a reservoir of concepts and techniques which can be drawn upon to construct mathematical models of various types of systems and thereby yield quantitative information concerning their behavior.
Multi-criteria Analysis: A Manual. Department for Communities and Local Government
- J Dodgson
- M Spackman
- A Pearman
- L Phillips
Dodgson, J., Spackman, M., Pearman, A., Phillips, L., 2009. Multi-criteria Analysis: A
Manual. Department for Communities and Local Government, London.
Sustainable Transportation Performance Indicators (STPI)
- R Gilbert
- N Irwin
- B Hollingworth
- P Blais
- Rom
Gilbert, R., Irwin, N., Hollingworth, B., Blais, P., 2003. Sustainable Transportation
Performance Indicators (STPI). Transportation Research Board (TRB), CD ROM.
Growth Within: A Circular Economy Vision for a Competitive Europe, http://www. ellenmacarthurfoundation.org/news/circular-economy-would-increaseeuropean-competitiveness-and-deliver-better-societal-outcomes-new-studyreveals
- Mckinsey Center
- Business
- Environment
McKinsey Center for Business and Environment, 2015. Growth Within: A Circular
Economy Vision for a Competitive Europe, http://www.
ellenmacarthurfoundation.org/news/circular-economy-would-increaseeuropean-competitiveness-and-deliver-better-societal-outcomes-new-studyreveals (accessed March 2016).