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Urban public transport in Europe: Technology diffusion and market organisation

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  • Costa, Álvaro
  • Fernandes, Ruben

Abstract

Technological change and incremental technology, at various levels, are believed to have played an important role in the success of urban public transport in Europe. In this paper, a historical overview of the evolution of different transport modes across different European cities is presented. Our major concern is with the processes of diffusion of urban transport modes in European cities and, in particular, with the factors, mainly of an economic nature, that may explain their rates of adoption across Europe. Among these factors, special attention is given to the role played by the dimension and organisation of public transport markets in the rates of adoption of different public transport modes. The main conclusion of the paper is that the success of the introduction of a new transport mode appeared to be mainly related to its ability to provide cheaper and more reliable transport services compared with previous transport modes, and that, in the case of the electric tram, this was achieved by transforming of the structure of the market relating to this urban transport mode into monopolies.

Suggested Citation

  • Costa, Álvaro & Fernandes, Ruben, 2012. "Urban public transport in Europe: Technology diffusion and market organisation," Transportation Research Part A: Policy and Practice, Elsevier, vol. 46(2), pages 269-284.
    • Handle: RePEc:eee:transa:v:46:y:2012:i:2:p:269-284
    DOI: 10.1016/j.tra.2011.09.002
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    4. Young Dae Ko & Yonghui Oh, 2020. "Efficient Deployment Design of Wireless Charging Electric Tram System with Battery Management Policy," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 12(7), pages 1-11, April.
    5. Marcin Połom, 2021. "Technology Development and Spatial Diffusion of Auxiliary Power Sources in Trolleybuses in European Countries," Energies, MDPI, vol. 14(11), pages 1-18, May.
    6. Marcin Połom & Paweł Wiśniewski, 2021. "Implementing Electromobility in Public Transport in Poland in 1990–2020. A Review of Experiences and Evaluation of the Current Development Directions," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 13(7), pages 1-22, April.
    7. Yunqiang Xue & Hongzhi Guan & Jonathan Corey & Bing Zhang & Hai Yan & Yan Han & Huanmei Qin, 2017. "Transport Emissions and Energy Consumption Impacts of Private Capital Investment in Public Transport," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 9(10), pages 1-19, October.
    8. Tao Li & Junlin Zhu & Jianqiang Luo & Chaonan Yi & Baoqing Zhu, 2023. "Breaking Triopoly to Achieve Sustainable Smart Digital Infrastructure Based on Open-Source Diffusion Using Government–Platform–User Evolutionary Game," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 15(19), pages 1-24, October.
    9. Janez Blaž & Klemen Zajc & Samo Zupan & Miha Ambrož, 2019. "Evaluation System for the Implementation of Public Passenger Transport as a Public Service Obligation," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 11(12), pages 1-17, June.
    10. Milena Klasing Chen & Sophie Hooge & Blanche Segrestin & Armand Hatchuel, 2014. "Motivations For Innovation In Public Transport: The Benefits Of A Low Cost Perspective," Post-Print hal-00988174, HAL.
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    12. Dasgupta,Susmita & Lall,Somik V. & Wheeler,David R., 2021. "Urban CO2 Emissions : A Global Analysis with New Satellite Data," Policy Research Working Paper Series 9845, The World Bank.
    13. Roman Sidorchuk & Dariya Efimova & Irina Lopatinskaya & Venera Kaderova, 2015. "Parametric Approach to the Assessment of Service Quality Attributes of Municipal Passenger Transport in Moscow," Modern Applied Science, Canadian Center of Science and Education, vol. 9(4), pages 303-303, April.
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