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This study aims to explore the role of knowledge management practices in supporting current and emerging passengers’ and customer needs, aiming to create value. Specifically, the research examines the importance of customer-centred knowledge management in the delivery of innovative services and practices in the public transport sector, promoting the role of interactions between mobility stakeholders and travellers.

A theoretical framework is developed and supported by the background literature on customer-centric knowledge management approaches, business model innovation, as well as on inter-organisational and network co-operations.

Results show that the development of sustainable innovation and technologies in the transport sector requires knowledge management practices, which enable the access to knowledge about users’ needs, the mapping and evaluation of innovative knowledge, the promotion of knowledge-based innovation through collective approaches, as well as the acquisition and integration of new knowledge.

The conceptual framework developed in the paper remains limited to a theoretical understanding. Further research should empirically examine knowledge issues related to the intangible character and intellectual capital intensiveness of innovation in the transport sector.

Researchers, public transport companies and public transport authorities are expected to benefit from this research, by developing mechanisms for customer-centred knowledge management, which is found to lead to innovative services and practices in the public transport sector. Another practical implication regards the adoption of knowledge management practices, leading to technological innovations in public transport, and advancing the level of sustainability in transport systems.

The originality of this study lies in the development of a customer-focussed knowledge management framework, which provides a novel perspective of value creation in an attempt to engage researchers and practitioners from the transport industry in the conceptualisation and development of innovative solutions.

The purpose of this paper is to focuss on customer driven supply chains and what this means for the management of freight transport, a key process in the supply chain as it acts as a physical link between customers and suppliers. It aims to assess whether some of the new collaborative models for transport management are delivering better optimised solutions.

The paper is based on a multi‐dimensional methodological approach, which includes empirical, model building, opinion and archival evidence. Much of the thinking and findings in this paper have been derived from a series of quasi‐delphi discussion sessions with logistics industry experts from three sectors, steel, grocery and construction and experienced academics in the fields of logistics and supply chain management.

The paper sets out to argue that new innovative solutions are emerging for better transport optimisation, that exploit the competitive power of collaboration, both vertically with supply chain partners and horizontally with other logistics service providers (LSPs).

The research was largely focused on the road freight transport industry in the UK and Europe. However, it is felt that similar thinking can be deployed in other settings for alternative transport modes and other geographical regions. From an academic perspective the paper contributes to the notion that supply chain management as well as focussing on vertical coordination and process integration also needs to incorporate the potential considerable power of horizontal collaboration.

In particular it is original in that it highlights how important it is to combine vertical collaboration with horizontal collaboration if better optimised transport solutions are to be achieved. This is of considerable value and interest both to practitioner and academic communities.

Key components of the logistics mix are described in an effort to create an understanding of the total logistics concept. Chapters include an introduction to logistics; the strategic role of logistics, customer service levels, channel relationships, facilities location, transport, inventory management, materials handling, interface with production, purchasing and materials management, estimating demand, order processing, systems performance, leadership and team building, business resource management.

This chapter provides an overview of the potential use of Intelligent Transport Systems (ITS) and associated artificial intelligence (AI) techniques in the land transport sector in an attempt to achieve related United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) targets. ITS applications that have now been extensively tested worldwide and have become part of the everyday transport toolkit available to practitioners have been discussed. AI techniques applied successfully in specific ITS applications such as automatic traffic control systems, real-time image processing, automatic incident detection, safety management, road condition assessment, asset management and traffic enforcement systems have been identified. These methods have helped to provide traffic engineers and transport planners with novel ways to improve safety, mobility, accessibility and efficiency in the sector and thus move closer to achieving the various SDG targets pertaining to transportation.

Transport is the main enabler of tourism, but also one of its main sources of environmental impact. This paradoxical condition is even more controversial if considering the reluctancy of policymakers to introduce traffic management strategies, as they fear possible drops in tourism demand. This chapter addresses the ‘tourism-traffic paradox’ as a wicked problem and explores adequate and efficient policy interventions to foster sustainable mobility in Alpine destinations, minimising rebound effects in tourism demand. The chapter is focussed on the exemplary case of the Dolomites World Heritage Site (WHS), as this Italian area has experienced a long-lasting process of evidence-informed decision-making in transport, with two pilot actions for traffic calming in 2017 and 2018. The main goal of those actions was to shift the modal choices of tourists, to optimise the traffic network use and to minimise environmental impacts. The policy interventions were rooted in a sustainability governance approach, that is, they were creating a government-led network of stakeholders, including several academic experts, involved in the transport planning and monitoring phase. Advantages and disadvantages of this government-led network to solve the tourism-traffic paradox are discussed in the chapter.

Tourism and transport represent two sides of the same management process, especially in tourism destinations characterised by a consistent or a rising volume of visitor flows.

The purpose of this paper is to present a framework for purchasing transport services to enable small and medium size enterprises (SMEs) to improve relationships with logistics service providers (LSPs) and enhance their own competitive advantage and profitability. Many SMEs lack competence in purchasing transport services and a subsequent lack of “purchasing power” may cause SMEs to be treated as “order takers” rather than “order makers” by LSPs, who have more leverage in the purchasing process.

This research stemmed from a knowledge transfer research project between the focal company and a university comprising a longitudinal single case study using action research for developing and implementing the framework.

A framework using several tools for purchasing transport services and improving transport performance has emerged from this research. Benefits from using this framework were enjoyed by both the focal company and its LSPs and the focal company improved the relationship power balance.

The research and resulting framework are based on a single case study and have not been tested in other firms or markets. However, the proposed framework may be applied in other contexts, entirely or in parts.

The research offers practical insights to a frequently‐encountered logistics issue for SMEs through developing and applying specific processes for practical transport purchasing.

The paper contributes by synthesising the literature relating to the transport purchasing process generally and in SMEs. It also provides a framework for SMEs to improve their transport purchasing efforts, thereby enhancing economic and operational efficiency.

The purpose of this paper is to establish a grey clustering evaluation model based on center-point triangular whitenization weight function to evaluate the situation of urban low-carbon transport development (LTD). The study results intend to provide some theoretical basis and tool support for transport management departments and related researchers who are engaged in low-carbon transport (LT).

The study uses analytical hierarchy process based on expert investigations to determine the weight of each criteria, classifies the grey clusters based on center-point triangular whitenization weight function, calculates the membership of each development criteria and ranks the development level of all dimensions.

The research results of case city show that low-carbon technology is in “poor” level, transport facility is in “superior” level, low-carbon policy and environmental coordination is in “intermediate” level, transport management is in “good” level and the overall LTD level is in “intermediate” level.

Reducing the carbon emissions of urban transport and achieving LT is the key to promote urban sustainable development, the scientific judgment of transport development situation is the premise of promoting LTD. Therefore, based on the practices of LT in China, the study systematically clarifies LTD from five dimensions of reflecting LTD.

From the perspective of sustainable development, the evaluation index system of LTD is built with five dimensions consisting of low-carbon technology, low-carbon policy, transport facility, transport management and environmental coordination. Then assess the LTD by using the grey clustering evaluation model based on center-point triangular whitenization weight. This paper presents a new research idea for LTD evaluation.