An assessment of the ability of cargo buses to improve the efficiency of small businesses' logistics, reduce carbon emissions from transport, and impr

评估货运巴士提高小型企业物流效率、减少运输碳排放以及改善小型企业物流效率的能力

• 批准号: 2885543
• 金额: --
• 依托单位: University of Manchester
• 依托单位国家: 英国
• 项目类别: Studentship
• 财政年份: 2023
• 资助国家: 英国
• 起止时间: 2023 至 无数据
• 项目状态: 未结题
• 来源: https://gtr.ukri.org/projects?ref=studentship-2885543
• 关键词: assessment; ability; cargo; buses; improve

Across the UK, buses provide vital access and mobility for both rural communities, particularly low-income groups, commuters and the disabled, and provide a means to cut congestion and carbon emissions. However, fragmented, and lower density populations make the provision of bus services in remote rural areas more challenging. Many services run with few passengers and their existence is financially precarious, especially as passenger numbers on buses remain approximately 70% of the pre-pandemic level. Identifying new sources of income to improve the financial viability of bus services is an important industry challenge. The COVID-19 pandemic and economic climate (especially high inflation) have placed an existential threat on many rural bus routes that are vital for communities they serve. During 2022, almost one in 10 local bus services ceased in Great Britain despite government promises to improve local transport. This is a significant problem for many local authorities throughout the UK and therefore finding ways of reducing or offsetting operating costs (for example, through the carriage of cargo as well as passengers) is an important research and practical challenge.A mass of small-scale businesses characterizes rural economies, often distribute their goods to buyers themselves, with transport and logistics a substantial cost financially and in terms of staff time. For instance, food and drink industry producers typically undertake regular deliveries to local and regional buyers but many of these journeys involve small loads. Improving the efficiency of logistics can improve business performance and reduce carbon emissions but requires greater co-operation with other actors for mutual benefit.Cargo buses carry both passengers and goods on regular services, and they can utilize existing bus vehicles but with dedicated space for the transport of goods. Northumberland County Council highlighted the need to strengthen deep rural aspect in terms of expand the goods delivery beyond food and drink. It also emphasized the need to enhance the financial sustainability of the bus service by improving the vehicle utilization which is currently around 25-30% during the off-peak hours.The purpose of this project would be to:1. Map the logistics needs, and deliveries, of small-scale producers in remote rural areas of England against existing bus routes and timetables to identify the most promising opportunities for co-operation and establishment of cargo bus routes. This will involve working with Food and Drink North East (FADNE) and their members.2. To investigate the practical and legal requirements for the establishment of cargo buses. This will involve liaison with business service operators, local authorities and transport authorities. Attention will also be paid to costs and willingness to pay for cargo bus services.3. To model the potential financial benefits and costs for small-scale producers across England of adopting passenger buses for cargo shipments and examine the impact on carbon footprints.4. To undertake a small number of test cargo journeys to establish the proof of concept, to provide a basis for future service development and commercialization.

在英国各地，公共汽车为农村社区，特别是低收入群体、通勤者和残疾人提供了至关重要的交通和流动性，并为减少拥堵和碳排放提供了一种手段。然而，分散和低密度的人口使偏远农村地区的公共汽车服务更具挑战性。许多服务的乘客人数很少，其存在在财务上岌岌可危，特别是公共汽车上的乘客人数仍约为大流行前水平的70%。寻找新的收入来源以提高公共汽车服务的财务可行性是一项重要的行业挑战。COVID-19大流行和经济气候（尤其是高通胀）对许多农村巴士线路构成了生存威胁，而这些线路对其所服务的社区至关重要。于二零二二年，尽管政府承诺改善当地交通，英国仍有近十分之一的当地巴士服务停运。这对英国各地的许多地方当局来说是一个重大问题，因此要找到减少或抵消运营成本的方法（例如，通过货物和乘客的运输）是一个重要的研究和实践挑战。大量的小规模企业是农村经济的特点，往往将其货物分销给买方自己，运输和后勤在财政上和工作人员时间上都要花费很大的费用。例如，食品和饮料行业的生产商通常定期向当地和区域买家交货，但其中许多运输涉及少量货物。提高物流效率可以改善业务绩效并减少碳排放，但需要与其他参与者加强合作，以实现互利。货运巴士定期运送乘客和货物，可以利用现有的巴士车辆，但有专门的货物运输空间。诺森伯兰郡理事会强调，有必要加强深入农村方面的扩大食品和饮料以外的货物交付。此外，小组亦强调有需要提高巴士服务的财政可持续性，方法是改善现时非繁忙时间的车辆使用率（约为25-30%）。根据现有的公共汽车路线和时间表，绘制英格兰偏远农村地区小规模生产者的物流需求和交付情况，以确定合作和建立货运巴士路线的最有希望的机会。这将涉及与食品和饮料东北（FADNE）及其成员。调查设立货运巴士的实际和法律的要求。这将涉及与商业服务经营者、地方当局和运输当局的联络。还将注意货运巴士服务的费用和支付意愿。模拟英格兰各地小规模生产商采用客运巴士进行货物运输的潜在财务收益和成本，并研究对碳足迹的影响。进行少量的货运测试，以验证概念，为未来的服务开发和商业化提供基础。