ITS Monday: Edition 10, 2026

The AV Crisis Playbook

A blog post on The Driverless Digest by Chessin Gertler, a creative strategist and founder focused on the future of mobility.

“Not because the technology is fundamentally flawed, but because autonomous systems operate in one of the most complex environments imaginable: dense, unpredictable human systems operating at scale. AV incidents uniquely pose the risk of becoming defining events that shape public perception, trigger regulatory action, and, in some cases, alter the trajectory of entire companies.

Which leads to a simple but underdeveloped idea: the AV companies that succeed will not just have the best technology, but the best crisis playbook.”

Related iMOVE articles:

• Autonomous Driving: Info, Projects & Resources
• Autonomous Driving Technology: Info, Projects & Resources

Related iMOVE projects:

• CAVs and the environment: A cleaner future?
• CAVs and Australians: Attitudes, perceptions, preferences
• Safely deploying automated vehicles on Australian roads

Consumer preferences for uncrewed aerial vehicles delivery service

A new academic paper, co-authored by Ali Ardeshiri, Akshay Vij, and Mirjam Wiedemann . The abstract:

The rapid advancement of technology has led to the emergence of innovative solutions in delivery services, notably unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs), or drones. This study investigates consumer preferences for UAV-based delivery services using data from a nationwide stated choice experiment conducted with 1,000 Australian respondents. The experiment covered four delivery contexts − letters, food, medicine, and general goods − by varying key attributes such as delivery time, cost, and item type, with an aim for both geographic and demographic representativeness.

The data were analysed using a latent class choice model, which identified distinct consumer segments with varying sensitivities to pricing, delivery urgency, and non-monetary concerns such as privacy and safety. Results indicate that, all else being equal, the market share of UAV delivery ranges from 33% for food delivery to 41% for letters. Respondents show greater interest in using UAVs for lighter and time-sensitive items such as letters and medicine, while they are less inclined to use drones for food delivery.

Safety and reliability emerge as key concerns across most segments. Generally, younger adults, individuals with higher education and income levels, and those with greater familiarity with drones are more inclined to adopt UAV delivery services. Australians also demonstrate a wide range of willingness to pay for faster delivery − ranging from A$0.30 for letters to A$4.90 for food delivered within five minutes.

This study contributes to a deeper understanding of consumer preferences in UAV delivery and offers practical insights for businesses, policymakers, and researchers navigating this evolving landscape.

Related iMOVE article:

• Drone Transport: Info, Projects & Resources

Related iMOVE projects:

• The future of drones in Australia
• Trialling drones for medical use in NT remote communities

Air-ground multimodal transport planning for joint passenger mobility and parcel delivery: integration of drones, aircraft, and ground vehicles

Another new academis paper on the topic of drones, A new academic paper, co-authored by Yimeng Zhang, Chenjie Yang, Haoning Xi, Songhan Peng, Junjie Yang, Mi Gan, Xiaobo Liu, and Ruixue Ai . The abstract:

Drones and electric Vertical Takeoff and Landing aircraft (eVTOLs) offer potential to improve transport efficiency and flexibility by circumventing ground transport constraints such as traffic congestion and infrastructure limitations. However, aerial vehicles alone often cannot meet transport demands, necessitating integration with ground-based systems. To address this challenge, this study investigates the Integrated Air-Ground Multimodal Transport Planning Problem (IAG-MTPP) for joint passenger mobility and parcel delivery. The IAG-MTPP integrates fixed-route and flexible-route vehicles, accommodating operational scenarios involving eVTOL aircraft, drones, and ground vehicles.

The proposed IAG-MTPP is formulated as a Mixed-Integer Linear Programming (MILP) model that optimises multimodal operations to minimise transshipment costs, delay penalties, and carbon emissions, while also incorporating capital costs and battery-energy constraints for electric air and ground vehicles. The model is tailored to the complexities of air-ground vehicle routing, considering transfer operations, inter-modal coordination, and routing flexibility. It enables switches between parcel-only, passenger-only, and integrated operations, providing adaptability to evolving transport demands.

To solve large-scale instances, we customise an Adaptive Large Neighborhood Search (ALNS) algorithm with insertion, removal, and swap operators, feasibility checks, and an operator-selection scheme. Benchmarking against a commercial exact solver and multiple heuristic algorithms demonstrates the robustness and scalability of the proposed ALNS. The effectiveness and applicability of the proposed model and algorithm are validated through numerical experiments in scenarios including emergency rescue operations in Jiuzhaigou and urban transport in Chengdu, China.

The results demonstrate that the integrated air-ground system optimizes multimodal routing while reducing transport costs and improving service coverage compared to alternatives. The proposed ALNS algorithm solves large-scale instances efficiently where commercial exact solvers fail, supporting real-world deployment in large networks and high-demand settings. This study offers insights and guidelines to support efficient resource allocation in the rapidly evolving low-altitude economy.

A decade of Mobility-as-a-Service research: A systematic review of modeling methods and future research agenda

A new Institute of Transport and Logistics Studies working paper, co-authored by Haoning Xi, David Hensher, Yimeng Zhang, Xiang Zhang, Zhiqi Shao, John Nelson, and Waller Travis. The abstract:

Over the last decade (2015–2025), Mobility-as-a-Service (MaaS) has rapidly evolved from a visionary concept into a mature, user-centric socio-technical ecosystem. This paper marks a ten-year methodological milestone by conducting a PRISMA-guided systematic review of 92 peer-reviewed journal articles from Web of Science, Scopus, and Google Scholar. The existing body of quantitative modeling literature informing MaaS design, operations, and regulation remains fragmented across disciplines, assumptions, and decision making layers.

In response, we propose a unified framework that categorises the literature into six methodological families: simulation models, optimisation models, discrete choice models, other statistical methods, data-driven and predictive machine learning models, and game theory and mechanism design models. Using this framework, we map these modeling methods onto four core MaaS research themes: demand-side modeling, supply-side operations, MaaS ecosystem governance, and platform and subscription bundle design.

Major findings indicate that existing demand studies have predominantly relied on stated-preference valuations of MaaS subscription plans and bundles, with only limited revealed preference validation; optimisation models have increasingly formalised allocation, matching, and assignment under operational constraints, albeit often assuming overly simplified traveler behavior; and machine learning techniques have expanded rapidly but are generally deployed as stand-alone prediction tools rather than integrated into policy-constrained decision support systems. In addition, the maturity levels of each methodological family reveal significant disparities: foundational areas such as revealed-preference modeling and choice-based optimisation are well-established (extensively studied), while emerging fields like machine learning and game theory remain less studied or in early-stage exploration.

To advance the field, we provide a forward-looking agenda of 20 research directions, prioritising more data-driven behavioral modeling, tighter demand–supply integration in operational settings, new multi-sector partnerships, and the concept of Mobility-as-a-Feature. We emphasise planning for equity and long-term impacts and the responsible incorporation of emerging technologies into next-generation MaaS. This systematic methodological review provides evidence-based guidance and a structured roadmap for researchers, operators, and policymakers, addressing identified gaps and highlighting areas requiring further development to support robust, policy-aligned decision-making in MaaS.

Related iMOVE article:

• Mobility as a Service: Info, Projects & Resources
• MaaS: What have we learned, and where to next?

Related iMOVE projects:

• Sydney MaaS trial: Design, implementation, lessons, the future
• Mobility as a Service: Does Australia want it?
• ODIN PASS: A Mobility as Service trial at UQ

Swinburne secures national funding to boost heavy vehicle safety with real-time hazard detection

Australia’s freight industry moves millions of tonnes of goods each year, but heavy vehicles continue to face preventable risks from low bridges, overhanging trees and temporary structures. A new Swinburne University of Technology project aims to reduce those dangers through advanced real-time sensing technology.

The Swinburne research team, including Distinguished Professor Saeid Nahavandi, Professor Hadi Ghaderi, Dr Adetokunbo Arogbonlo, Professor Chee Peng Lim, Associate Professor Hailing Zhou, Professor Christopher McCarthy, Camilo Gonzalez Arango and Kelvin Choo have been successful in Round 10 of the National Heavy Vehicle Regulator’s Heavy Vehicle Safety Initiative (HVSI), securing $432,000 for their Heads Up Safe Route project.

Tassie’s free public transport surge sees 5,000 extra bus passengers

“Free public transport in Tasmania is already reshaping travel behaviour, with early data showing a sharp rise in bus usage just days after fares were removed.”

Related iMOVE projects:

• Implications of large-scale price reductions in public transport fares

What Australia can learn from France’s approach to free public transport

“A year after the last energy crisis shook the world, a French city made a bold move. Already known for the pedestrian-friendly Place de la Comédie that sits at its medieval core, Montpellier introduced free public transport.”

When public transport feels effortless, cities thrive

“Passengers do not think in fare engines, APIs or cloud architecture. They think in moments: planning a trip, managing a concession, getting home on time. When those moments feel effortless, intelligent mobility is doing its job.”

Bus franchising for the net zero agenda in Wales

More content from the Institute of Transport and Logistics Studies. “From our ‘Thinking outside the box’ series, Professor Emerita Mulley and Professor John Nelson share that this think piece is designed to inform forthcoming legislation on bus services and to provide an evidence base to support TfW in making key implementation decisions around contracting and awarding franchised bus services as a contribution to net zero. The major message is the need for TfW to design and oversee a well-planned and well-managed transition to bus franchising for net zero in Wales.”

Related iMOVE articles:

• Alternative Fuels: Info, Projects &; Resources

Related iMOVE projects:

• FACTS: A Framework for an Australian Clean Transport Strategy
• Second lives for electric vehicle batteries

Relative Injury Risk of E-bikes and Conventional BicyclesH

Last up this week, another new academic paper, this one co-authored by Aslak Fyhri, Ph.D, Torkel Bjørnskau, Ph.D, Henrik Siverts, M.D. The abstract:

Electric bicycles are increasingly promoted as part of sustainable urban mobility, yet concerns remain that they may entail higher injury risk than conventional bicycles. This study combines emergency ward injury data from Oslo, Norway, for 2023 with distance-based exposure estimates from the Norwegian National Travel Behaviour Survey to calculate distance-adjusted injury risk.

The analysis includes 1,585 cyclist injuries requiring medical treatment. Overall, injury risk was lower for e-bikes than for conventional bicycles. Seasonal variation was considerable, and the reduced risk associated with e-bikes was not evident in winter.

Related iMOVE articles:

• Active Transport: Info, Projects &; Resources
• Micromobility: Info, Projects &; Resources

Related iMOVE projects:

• Optimising multimodal transport networks: Sharing road space
• Safer cycling infrastructure: Design and policy
• Behavioural change for sustainable transport