Pricing and Incentive Strategies for Pareto-Optimal Modal Splits in a Regional Transport Network

Abstract

Energy-efficient transport is critical to reach the climate targets. This study examines the introduction of monetary measures (toll for cars, incentives for public transport) in a regional transport network with the aim to influence the modal split, shifting travel demand from cars to public transport in order to save energy. Public transport supply is adapted for increasing demand, allowing for additional pull effects through increased frequencies. The toll rate is varied and the concept of Pareto optimality is employed to draw conclusions about the efficiency of the resulting scenarios. A distance-dependent toll and refraining from paying a bonus to public transport users outperforms the alternative scenarios. Also, the modal shifts achieved by increasing the toll rate to more extreme values turn out to be less favorable than the shifts caused by the initial introduction of toll, as the tradeoff between energy reduction and additional travel time become less advantageous.