Enhancing Public Transportation for Supporting Sustainable Mobility

We are thrilled to extend an invitation for submissions to contribute to a comprehensive collection of papers spotlighting the operation, planning, and control of both conventional and cutting-edge public transportation systems, with a focus on fostering sustainable mobility. This special issue seeks to showcase top-tier research articles elucidating the multifaceted challenges, breakthroughs, and prospects within the realm of shared, integrated, clean, resilient, and efficient public transportation (PT) mobility.

In this collection, we welcome original research contributions focusing, but not limited to, the following topics:

• Electrification of PT 
• Integration of renewable energy sources for electric transit systems
• Robustness/resilience in PT planning
• Digital innovations in PT mobility
• Advanced solutions for the planning and operations of PT systems
• Smart Infrastructure and IoT Integration (role of IoT devices, sensors, and connected infrastructure in improving the transit operations, passenger experience, and real-time monitoring and management)
• Innovative applications of transit data (GTFS, AVL, APC, AFC, ETM) in PT operations and planning
• Transit assignment (frequency-based and schedule-based)
• Machine learning applications in solving challenging transit planning problems (timetabling, network design, and vehicle and crew scheduling)
• Control strategies (transfer synchronization, etc.)
• Modeling environmental impacts (emissions and energy requirements) of PT systems
• Design of mobility-as-a-service (MaaS), ride-sharing, and micro-transit services. 
• Passenger information design, trip planning, and route guidance
• Integrated fare pricing of multiple PT modes
• Passenger travel behavior modelling and demand management
• Integration of shared mobility services with conventional PT (operations, planning, control, and regulation)
• First/last-mile connectivity solutions (e.g., bikesharing, scooter sharing, ridesharing, and shuttle services)
• Impact of automation on PT
• Social equity, mobility, and accessibility needs
• Review papers in related topics

Submission Guidelines:

Authors are invited to submit original manuscripts adhering to the guidelines provided by npj-Journal of Sustainable Mobility and Transport (npj Sustainable Mobility and Transport (nature.com)). All submitted papers will undergo a rigorous peer-review process.

All papers should follow the aims and scope of the journal: Aims & Scope | npj Sustainable Mobility and Transport (nature.com)

Important Date:
Papers Submission Deadline: 15 January 2025

The papers will be handled by the editorial board of the journal.
Papers will be handled as they come so that the publication will be guaranteed once the paper is peer-reviewed and accepted by the peers.