Economics and Finance

In this paper, we review some of the basic energy balance and climate change impact issues associated with biofuels. For both the basic energy and greenhouse gas balances of producing and using a range of fuels, and for the increasingly debated and important issues of nongreenhouse gas impacts such as land, fertilizer, and water use, we conclude that an improved framework for the analysis and evaluation of biofuels is needed. These new methodologies and data sets are needed on both physical and socioeconomic aspects of the life-cycle of biofuels. We detail some of components that could be...

Carpooling allows travelers to share a ride to a common destination and can include several forms of sharing a ride, such as casual carpooling and real-time carpooling. Because carpooling reduces the number of automobiles needed by travelers, it is often associated with numerous societal benefits including:1) reductions in energy consumption and emissions, 2) congestion mitigation, and 3) reduced parking infrastructure demand. In recent years, economic, environmental, and social forces coupled with technological innovations are encouraging shared and pooled services. Shared mobility is...

The Mobility on Demand (MOD) Sandbox Demonstration Program provides a venue through which integrated MOD concepts and solutions – supported through local partnerships – are demonstrated in real-world settings. For each of the 11 MOD Sandbox Demonstration projects, the MOD Sandbox Independent Evaluation includes an analysis of project impacts from performance measures provided by the project partners, as well as an assessment of the business models used. This report constitutes the Evaluation Plan for the Pinellas Suncoast Transit Authority (PSTA) Public-Private-Partnership for Paratransit...

Shared mobility-the shared use of a vehicle, motorcycle, scooter, bicycle, or other travel mode-provides users with short-term access to a transportation mode on an as-needed basis. Shared mobility includes various travel modes and service models that meet the diverse needs of users including: carsharing, bikesharing, transportation network companies (TNCs, also known as ridesourcing and ridehailing), and others. The following section, TravelModes, provides U.S. Department of Transportation, American Planning Association, and SAE International definitions of the most common shared mobility...