Skip to main content

The Italian Bus Transportation Sector: The Management of Environmental Risks as a Factor for Achieving a Business Sustainability

  • Chapter
  • First Online:
The Future of Risk Management, Volume I

Abstract

This study investigates public and private transportation firms from a managerial perspective of the environmental risk. Carbon footprint measures the level of energy efficiency and it shows how much a firm is working to improve its results. In order to assess the profitability efficiency, we rely on an input-oriented Slack Based (SBM) Data Envelopment Analysis (DEA) model. The results demonstrate that no significant between public or private for all the efficiencies dimension. This is due may to the fact that public enterprises do not invest a lot as well as to lack of public governance and lack of money, while the private companies’ save costs in order to achieve a certain level of profitability for their investors.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this chapter

Chapter
USD 29.95
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Available as PDF
  • Read on any device
  • Instant download
  • Own it forever
eBook
USD 139.00
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Available as EPUB and PDF
  • Read on any device
  • Instant download
  • Own it forever
Hardcover Book
USD 179.99
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Durable hardcover edition
  • Dispatched in 3 to 5 business days
  • Free shipping worldwide - see info

Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout

Purchases are for personal use only

Institutional subscriptions

Notes

  1. 1.

    https://eur-lex.europa.eu/LexUriServ/LexUriServ.do?uri=COM:2011:0144:FIN:en:PDF.

  2. 2.

    https://ec.europa.eu/transport/facts-fundings/statistics/pocketbook-2017_en.

  3. 3.

    Law n. 59 of 1997 published in G.U. n. 63 of 1997.

  4. 4.

    Legislative decree n. 422 of 1997 published in G.U. n. 287 of 1997.

  5. 5.

    Legislative decree n. 400 of 1999 published in G.U. n. 259 of 1999. With this legislative decree modification to text of the previous decree n. 422 of 1997 were introduced.

  6. 6.

    Regulation (EC) n. 1370/2007 published in the Official Journal of the European Union L. 315 of 2017. This Regulation was after amended by Regulation (EC) 2016/2338.

  7. 7.

    Law n. 99 of 2009 published in G.U. n. 176 of 2009.

  8. 8.

    Decree Law n. 138 of 2011 published in G.U. n. 216 of 2011.

  9. 9.

    Decree Law n. 201 of 2011 published in G.U. n. 300 of 2011.

  10. 10.

    Law n. 179 of 2012 published in G.U. n. 294 of 2012.

  11. 11.

    Law n. 208 of 2012 published in G.U. n. 302 of 2012.

  12. 12.

    Law n. 147 of 2013 published in G.U. n. 302 of 2013.

  13. 13.

    Decree Law n. 50 of 2017 published in G.U. n. 144 of 2017.

  14. 14.

    Law n. 208 of 2015 published in G.U. n. 302 of 2015. With Decree Law n. 50/2017, some modifications to text of the Law were introduced.

  15. 15.

    Legislative Decree n. 257 of 2016 published in G.U. n. 10 of 2017.

References

  • Abrate, G., Erbetta, F., Fraquelli, G., & Vannoni, D. (2016). Bet big on doubles, bet smaller on triples. Exploring scope economies in multi-service passenger transport companies. Transport Policy, 52, 81–88.

    Google Scholar 

  • Afonso, A., & Scaglioni, C. (2005). Public services efficiency provision in Italian regions: a non-parametric analysis (SSRN Working Paper). Lisbon, Portugal: Technical University of Lisbon.

    Google Scholar 

  • Alfiero, S., Cane, M., Doronzo, R., & Esposito, A. (2018). Environmental efficiency analysis of bus transport in Italy: SMEs vs. Large companies. In Maintaining sustainable accounting systems in small business (pp. 24–45). IGI Global.

    Google Scholar 

  • Alfiero, S., Elba, F., Esposito, A., & Resce, G. (2017). The impact of environmental factors on the measurement of managerial efficiency in the Italian waste management sector: Framework and empirical evidence. International Journal of Public Administration, 40(10), 820–832.

    Google Scholar 

  • Andreoni, V., & Galmarini, S. (2012). European CO2 emission trends: A decomposition analysis for water and aviation transport sectors. Energy, 45(1), 595e602.

    Google Scholar 

  • Banker, R., Charnes, A., & Cooper, W. (1984). Some models for estimating technical and scale inefficiencies in data envelopment analysis. Management Science, 30(9), 1078–1092.

    Google Scholar 

  • Boitani, A., & Tocci, W. (2005). Mobilità sostenibile e liberalizzazione del trasporto locale.

    Google Scholar 

  • Boycko, M., Shleifer, A., & Vishny, R. W. (1996). A theory of privatisation. Economic Journal, 106(435), 309–319.

    Google Scholar 

  • Bowlin, W. F. (1998). Measuring performance: An introduction to data envelopment analysis (DEA). The Journal of Cost Analysis, 15(2), 3–27.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Carpenter, R. A. (1993). Can sustainability be measured. Environmental Strategy, 5, 13–16.

    Google Scholar 

  • Chang, Y. T., Zhang, N., Danao, D., & Zhang, N. (2013). Environmental efficiency analysis of transportation system in China: A non-radial DEA approach. Energy Policy, 58, 277–283.

    Google Scholar 

  • Charnes, A., Cooper, W., & Rhodes, E. (1978). Measuring the efficiency of decision-making units. European Journal of Operational Research, 2(6), 429–444.

    Google Scholar 

  • Christensen, J., & Yesilkagit, K. (2018). International public administrations: A critique. Journal of European Public Policy, 1–16.

    Google Scholar 

  • Cooper, W., Seiford, L., & Tone K. (2000). DEA: A comprehensive text with models. Applications, references and DEA-solver software. London: Kluwer Academic Publishers.

    Google Scholar 

  • Cowart, W., Pesinova, V., & Saile, S. (2003). An assessment of GHG emissions from the transportation sector. US Environmental Protection Agency.

    Google Scholar 

  • Daraio, C., Diana, M., Di Costa, F., Leporelli, C., Matteucci, G., & Nastasi, A. (2016). Efficiency and effectiveness in the urban public transport sector: A critical review with directions for future research. European Journal of Operational Research, 248(1), 1–20.

    Google Scholar 

  • De Borger, B., Kerstens K., & Costa L. (2002). Public transit performance: What does one learn from frontier studies? Transport Reviews, 22(1), 1–38.

    Google Scholar 

  • De Gruyter, C., Currie, G., & Rose, G. (2016). Sustainability measures of urban public transport in cities: A world review and focus on the Asia/Middle East Region. Sustainability, 9(1), 43.

    Google Scholar 

  • Donaldson, L. (1990). The ethereal hand: Organizational economics and management theory. Academy of Management Review, 15(3), 369–381.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Donaldson, T., & Preston, L. E. (1995). The stakeholder theory of the corporation: Concepts evidence, and implications. Academy of Management Journal, 20(1), 65–91.

    Google Scholar 

  • Eisenhardt, K. (1989). Agency theory: An assessment and review. Academy of Management Review, 14(1), 57–74.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Fama, E. F., & Jensen, M. C. (1983). Separation of ownership and control. Journal of Law and Economics, 26(2), 301–325.

    Google Scholar 

  • Färe, R., & Grosskopf, S. (2000). Network DEA. Socio-Economic Planning Sciences, 34(1), 35–49.

    Google Scholar 

  • Färe, R., Grosskopf, S., Lovell, C. A. K., & Pasurka, C. (1989). Multilateral productivity comparisons when some outputs are undesirable: A nonparametric approach. Review of Economics & Statistics, 71(1), 90.

    Google Scholar 

  • Fethi, M. D., & Pasiouras, F. (2010). Assessing bank efficiency and performance with operational research and artificial intelligence techniques: A survey. European Journal of Operational Research, 204(2), pp. 189–198.

    Google Scholar 

  • Fielding, G. J., Brenner, M. E., & Faust, K. (1985). Typology for bus transit. Transportation Research Part A: General, 19(3), 269–278.

    Google Scholar 

  • Fraquelli, G., Piacenza, M., & Abrate, G. (2004). Regulating public transit networks: How do urban-intercity diversification and speed-up measures affect firms’ cost performance? Annals of Public and Cooperative Economics, 75(2), 193–225.

    Google Scholar 

  • Geurs, K., & van Wee, B. (2004). Backcasting as a tool for sustainable transport policy making: The environmentally sustainable transport study in the Netherlands. European Journal of Transport and Infrastructure Research, 4(1), 47–69.

    Google Scholar 

  • Golany, B., & Roll, Y. (1989). An application procedure for DEA. Omega, 17(3), 237–250.

    Google Scholar 

  • Hensher, D. A. (2014). The relationship between bus contract costs, user perceived service quality and performance assessment. International Journal of Sustainable Transportation, 8(1), 5–27.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Iqbal, M., & Molyneux, P. (2005). Thirty years of Islamic banking: History, performance, and prospects. New York: Palgrave Macmillan.

    Google Scholar 

  • Jensen, M. C., & Meckling, W. (1976). Theory of the firm: Managerial behavior, agency costs and capital structure. Journal of Financial Economics, 3(4), 305–360.

    Google Scholar 

  • Karlaftis, M. G. (2003). Investigating transit production and performance: A programming approach. Transportation Research Part A: Policy and Practice, 37(3), 225–240.

    Google Scholar 

  • Karlaftis, M. G. (2004). A DEA approach for evaluating the efficiency and effectiveness of urban transit systems. European Journal of Operational Research, 152(2), 354–364.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Knox Lovell, C. A., Pastor, J. T., & Turner, J. A. (1995). Measuring macroeconomic performance in the OECD: A comparison of European and non-European countries. European Journal of Operational Research, 87(3), 507–551.

    Google Scholar 

  • Leal, I. C., de Almada Garcia, P. A., & Márcio de Almeida, D. A. (2012). A data envelopment analysis approach to choose transport modes based on eco-efficiency. Environment, Development and Sustainability, 14(5), 767–781.

    Google Scholar 

  • Mardani, A., Zavadskas, E. K., Streimikiene, D., Jusoh, A., & Khoshnoudi, M. (2017). A comprehensive review of data envelopment analysis (DEA) approach in energy efficiency. Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, 70, 1298–1322.

    Google Scholar 

  • Margari, B. B., Erbetta, F., Petraglia, C., & Piacenza, M. (2007). Regulatory and environmental effects on public transit efficiency: A mixed DEA-SFA approach. Journal of Regulatory Economics, 32(2), 131–151.

    Google Scholar 

  • McMullen, B. S., & Noh, D. W. (2007). Accounting for emissions in the measurement of transit agency efficiency: A directional distance function approach. Transportation Research Part D: Transport and Environment, 12(1), 1–9.

    Google Scholar 

  • Miller, D. R. (1970). Differences among cities, differences among firms, and costs of urban bus transport. Journal of Industrial Economics, 19(1), 22–32.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Mouwen, A., & Rietveld, P. (2013). Does competitive tendering improve customer satisfaction with public transport? A case study for the Netherlands. Transportation Research Part A: Policy and Practice, 51, 29–45.

    Google Scholar 

  • Oh, M., Shon, E., Kim, S., & Park, D. (2011). Efficiency analysis of Seoul’s urban bus agencies considering emissions. KSCE Journal of Civil Engineering, 15(5), 899–905.

    Google Scholar 

  • Ozbek, M. E., de la Garza, J. M., & Triantis, K. (2009). Data envelopment analysis as a decision-making tool for transportation professionals. Journal of Transportation Engineering, 135(11), 822–831.

    Google Scholar 

  • Patrizii, V., & Resce, G. (2015). Public sector contribution to competitiveness. Italian Economic Journal, 1(3), 401–443, pp. 408–409.

    Google Scholar 

  • Preston, I., White, V., Thumim, J., Bridgeman, T., & Brand, C. (2013). Distribution of carbon emissions in the UK: Implications for domestic energy policy.

    Google Scholar 

  • Roy, W., & Yvrande-Billon, A. (2007). Ownership, contractual practices and technical efficiency: The case of urban public transport in France. Journal of Transport Economics and Policy (JTEP), 41(2), 257–282.

    Google Scholar 

  • Seiford, L. M., & Zhu, J. (2002). Modelling undesirable factors in efficiency evaluation. European Journal of Operational Research, 142, 16–20.

    Google Scholar 

  • Sexton, T. R. (1986). The methodology of data envelopment analysis. New Directions for Program Evaluation, 32, 7–29.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Shiau, T. A., & Jhang, J. S. (2010). An integration model of DEA and RST for measuring transport sustainability. International Journal of Sustainable Development & World Ecology, 17(1), 76–83.

    Google Scholar 

  • Thanassoulis, E. (1993). Comparison of regression analysis and data envelopment analysis as alternative methods for performance assessments. Journal of Operational Research Society, 44(11), 1129–1144.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Thanassoulis, E. (2001). Introduction to the theory and application of data envelopment analysis. Dordrecht: Kluwer Academic Publishers.

    Google Scholar 

  • Thanassoulis, E., Athanassopoulos, A. D., & Dyson, R. G. (1996). Warwick DEA software (Windows version). Coventry: Warwick Business School, University of Warwick. www.warwick.ac.uk/~bsrlu/dea/deas/deas1.htm.

  • Timilsina, G. R., & Shrestha, A. (2009). Transport sector CO2 emissions growth in Asia: Underlying factors and policy options. Energy Policy, 37(11), 4523e4539.

    Google Scholar 

  • Tomazinis, A. R. (1977). Study of efficiency indicators of urban public transportation systems (Final Report). University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia (USA). Transportation Studies Center.

    Google Scholar 

  • Tone, K. (2001). A slacks-based measure of efficiency in data envelopment analysis. European Journal of Operational Research, 130(3), 498–509.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Viton, P. A. (1997). Technical efficiency in multi-mode bus transit: A production frontier analysis. Transportation Research Part B: Methodological, 31(1), 23–39.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Woodcock, J., Edwards, P., Tonne, C., Armstrong, B. G., Ashiru, O., Banister, D., & Franco, O. H. (2009). Public health benefits of strategies to reduce greenhouse-gas emissions: Urban land transport. The Lancet, 374(9705), 1930–1943.

    Google Scholar 

  • Yin, K., Wang, R., An, Q., Yao, L., & Liang, J. (2014). Using eco-efficiency as an indicator for sustainable urban development: A case study of Chinese provincial capital cities. Ecological Indicators, 36, 665–671.

    Google Scholar 

  • Yu, M. M. (2008). Measuring the efficiency and return to scale status of multi-mode bus transit—Evidence from Taiwan’s bus system. Applied Economics Letters, 15(8), 647–653.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Yu, M. M., & Fan, C. K. (2006). Measuring the cost effectiveness of multimode bus transit in the presence of accident risks. Transportation Planning and Technology, 29(5), 383–407.

    Google Scholar 

  • Yvrande‐Billon, A. (2006). The attribution process of delegation contracts in the French urban public transport sector: Why competitive tendering is a myth. Annals of Public and Cooperative Economics, 77(4), 453–478.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Zhou, P., Poh, K. L., & Ang, B. W. (2007). A non-radial DEA approach to measuring environmental performance. European Journal of Operational Research, 178, 1–9.

    Google Scholar 

  • Zhu, J. (2014). Quantitative models for performance evaluation and benchmarking: Data envelopment analysis with spreadsheets. New York, NY: Springer.

    Google Scholar 

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

Authors

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Simona Alfiero .

Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

Copyright information

© 2019 The Author(s)

About this chapter

Check for updates. Verify currency and authenticity via CrossMark

Cite this chapter

Alfiero, S., Cantino, V., Capecci, G., Esposito, A. (2019). The Italian Bus Transportation Sector: The Management of Environmental Risks as a Factor for Achieving a Business Sustainability. In: De Vincentiis, P., Culasso, F., Cerrato, S.A. (eds) The Future of Risk Management, Volume I. Palgrave Macmillan, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-14548-4_1

Download citation

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-14548-4_1

  • Published:

  • Publisher Name: Palgrave Macmillan, Cham

  • Print ISBN: 978-3-030-14547-7

  • Online ISBN: 978-3-030-14548-4

  • eBook Packages: Economics and FinanceEconomics and Finance (R0)

Publish with us

Policies and ethics