As new shared mobility services emerge there is an increasing need for better understanding of the role and potential markets of these services which would result in viable business models. The current research aims at exploring Demand Responsive Transport (DRT) services, as a case of efficient mobility service provision for low demand interurban areas. Analytical models are developed and applied in a real case identifying critical demand thresholds for the alternative modes. Finally, the analysis points out the trade-offs between costs and level of service a transport operator or mobility provider needs to consider to implement a successful service.

Users’ acceptability is considered one of the key drivers for the successful implementation of transport policy measures. This is especially crucial in the case of toll roads since they are financed through drivers’ contributions. Previous literature in this field has mainly focused on measuring users’ attitudes towards urban congestion pricing strategies. However limited research has been developed concerning interurban toll roads. Previous research shows that socioeconomic variables are not conclusive to explain users’ perceptions towards tolls. By contrast, other drivers such as regional differences seem to play a more important role, especially when charging conditions within the same nation greatly vary across regions. This paper analyzes regional differences in users’ attitudes within an asymmetrical distribution of the toll road network across regions. Based on a nationwide survey conducted to road users in interurban toll roads in Spain, we develop both a binomial logit and a censored regression (tobit) model to explore drivers’ perceptions and willingness to pay. The research concludes that users from regions with a more extensive tolled network generally show a more negative attitude towards charges, but not necessarily a lower willingness to pay. The paper also points out that an asymmetrical distribution of toll roads across regions may result in negative perceptions among those users perceiving to be unfairly treated when compared to citizens in other regions.

In the transport sector, where change comes with inertia and investments are made with a long term perspective, decision makers need to consider how the future may look like in the very long term. The work presented in this paper is a scenario analysis focusing on the evolution of transport demand towards 2050, aiming to identify related challenges for European industrial and policy players. It follows up on the work of other recent attempts to study the future of transport from a European perspective, integrating findings from these studies, updating new trends and applying a specific scenario analysis methodology relying also on expert consultation. The diversity of the scenarios created unfolds aspects of the future transport system with rather different outcomes on issues like the volume of transport, travel motives, the prevalent spatial scales of transport and logistics, people’s preferences towards different transport attributes, the relevancy of the State versus the private initiative in transport production, the level of competition, or the relative importance of environment and resource scarcity in setting an agenda for innovation and regulations. Beyond the subsequent challenges and opportunities identified in this work, the scenarios developed may be a useful basis for individual actors of distinct backgrounds to build their own specific futures, supporting them in defining strategies for the future.

The assessment of the impacts of climate change and extreme weather events on transport networks comprises an emerging field, which attracts the interest of several researchers. Most research efforts have concentrated on the identification of adaptation measures and best practices for specific, local events and their impacts. Therefore, the present paper aims to fill in the gap of the current research and methodological activities in linking the impact assessment of climate change to emergency adaptation strategies for transport networks within an aggregated framework and thus linking the problem with its potential solutions. Following a targeted review of the state-of-practice and the relevant literature, a sequential concept for determining the optimal strategies for the relevant authorities is presented, comprised of five distinct dimensions: the extreme events, the area extent where extreme events have an impact on, the transport networks as separate modes, the transport networks as mode-internal components and finally the emergency-adaptation plans. Each problem dimension is discussed both autonomously and as part of the sequential concept. A mathematical formulation for the integrated framework is presented, which can be used by any interested entity (e.g. related authorities or organizations). The main theoretical aspects of the framework are also discussed in detail. The integrated top-down approach proposed can effectively address all the major dimensions for determining optimal adaptation strategies in a sequential way. The framework can address real world questions and issues about determining the appropriate combination of measures, in order to achieve the minimization of the economic losses due to potential extreme weather events with limited available resources.