Transportation Chapter 4

Changing Methods of Operations and Practices of All Modes

• The transportation sector is undergoing rapid changes driven by three major trends: electrification, automation, and servitization.
• Electrification:
  • Examples: Indian ride-sharing company Ola investing in e-scooters, companies like Daimler investing in electric truck technology, and Norway running electric car ferries.
  • Goal: Transition to greener vehicles, reducing greenhouse gas emissions from fossil fuels.
• Automation:
  • Examples: Autonomous vehicles like Tesla's technology, TuSimple's autonomous trucks, and Waymo's driverless taxi service.
  • Benefits: Improve road safety, ease congestion, and change the way cities are built.
• Servitization:
  • Shift from traditional private ownership to mobility-as-a-service (MaaS) providers.
  • Examples: MaaS providers offering customers multiple mobility options via a single payment channel and interface.
  • Benefits: Access to mobility rather than ownership, potentially reducing the need for car ownership.

Challenges in the Transport Business

• Cost of fuel and fuel efficiency:
  • Transportation routing strategies can be complex and difficult to manage.
  • Companies must consider the cost of fuel when developing their routing strategies.
• Regulatory compliance:
  • Adhere to regulations such as emissions standards or speed limits.
  • Stay up-to-date on changes in regulations and take necessary steps to ensure compliance.
• Labor shortage:
  • Transportation operators face a labor shortage, making it difficult to find qualified drivers.
  • Companies must invest in recruiting, training, and retaining drivers.
• Social costs:
  • Congestion delays, accident costs, noise, air pollution, and greenhouse gases.
  • Examples: Traffic congestion, gridlock, bottleneck, and shockwave.

Social Costs – Pollution, Congestion, Accidents

• Traffic congestion:
  • Definition: Slow vehicle speeds, longer trip times, and increased queuing of vehicles.
  • Causes: Traffic-influencing events, special events, and road capacity.
• Accident costs:
  • Definition: Injuries, fatalities, or damage caused by vehicle accidents.
  • Data collection: Authorized-based by the Royal Malaysian Police (RMP) and research-based by the Malaysian Institute of Road Safety Research (MIROS).
• Environmental costs:
  • Air pollution and greenhouse gases from transportation activities.

Safety Issues

• Public transportation poses a higher risk of safety and security due to the number of passengers.
• Road accidents are a leading cause of death in many countries.
• Malaysia Road Safety Plan 2022-2030 aims to reduce road accident deaths by 50% by the end of 2030.

Environment and Energy Issues

• Transportation activities support increasing mobility demands, but are associated with environmental impacts.
• Environmental conditions affect transportation systems, operating conditions, and infrastructure requirements.
• Energy consumption: Different transport modes have varying levels of energy intensity, with faster modes requiring more energy.### Transportation and the Environment
• The transport sector, including all modes, accounts for about 25% of global CO2 emissions.
• Economies of scale, mainly achieved by maritime transportation, are linked to low energy consumption per unit of mass transported but at a slower speed.
• Air freight has high energy consumption levels linked to high-speed services with limited buffer stocks.

Technology and Air Transportation

• Modern travelers can use online websites to find the cheapest fares and make online bookings.
• Airport security has introduced 3D full-body scanners and other hi-tech measures to detect drugs, weapons, and contraband.
• In-flight entertainment has evolved from a few communal televisions to individual screens with a full range of multimedia options.
• Noise-cancelling headphones have made enjoying in-flight entertainment easier.
• Electronic chips in passports and e-Visas allow governments to track people's movements and move away from manual passport stamps.

Technology and Rail Transportation

• High-speed rail has developed faster speeds, such as Japan's Shinkansen network, also known as bullet trains.
• Maglev trains use powerful magnets to levitate and propel the train, running faster and smoother than traditional trains.
• The fastest of Japan's bullet trains reach 224 mph, while the Shanghai Maglev train reaches 267 mph.
• Maglev is widely seen as the future of train travel, with the current fastest train speed of 374 mph belonging to the Chuo Shinkansen Maglev train network.

Technology and Land Transportation

• Ride-sharing apps, such as Uber and Lyft, offer on-demand carpooling services, connecting drivers with passengers.
• Electric and hybrid cars have grown in popularity, incorporating electric motor and rechargeable battery technology.
• These vehicles are considered environmentally friendly, leading to lower greenhouse gas emissions.
• Self-driving technology has benefits, including reducing accidents and improving traffic flow, but also raises concerns about incidents with pedestrians and software glitches.

Low Carbon Society

• A low-carbon society aims to reduce carbon dioxide emissions to a level that can be absorbed by nature, achieving carbon neutrality.
• The ultimate goal is to produce only enough carbon dioxide that can be absorbed by nature.
• The world needs to reduce carbon emissions, as the Earth has already warmed about 1 degree Celsius since the 19th century due to greenhouse gases.

Certificate of Professional Competency (CPC)

• The CPC is a legally required certification for all operators of heavy vehicles across Europe.
• The vehicles that fall under the CPC requirement include buses, coaches, commercial heavy goods vehicles, and large goods vehicles.
• The CPC came into effect for bus and coach drivers on September 10, 2008, and for HGV and LGV operators on September 10, 2009.

Other Current Developments

• Today's transportation systems employ advanced technology like GPS, data analysis, and telematics for real-time vehicle tracking and driver communications.
• Transportation operations involve managing every aspect of a business's transportation services, from maintaining the fleet to adhering to government regulations.
• It necessitates tracking evolving customer needs to deliver a proficient and reliable service that aligns with their expectations.

This chapter covers the changing methods and practices in the transport industry, challenges in transport operations, and the role of technology in transport operations.