Digitalization and planning of NEXTGEN public transport: The case of Italy

In many countries, the public transport sector faces various technological challenges, including automation, digitalisation processes, the diffusion of shared mobility services, and the development of new mobility paradigms (e.g. Mobility as a Service). Despite the proliferation of literature addressing individual transport technologies or regulatory reforms, there is a paucity of empirical evidence concerning the influence of regulatory frameworks on the implementation of multiple technological innovations within highly regulated public transport markets. The present study aims to address this gap by developing and applying a structured scoring system to analyze the relationship between public policies and technological innovation in the domain of local public transport. The present study focuses on Italy as a paradigmatic case of a regulated European market, with the framework being applied to the top 20 public transport companies in terms of passengers carried, assessing the adoption of 15 key technologies in terms of infrastructure, vehicles and services. The main results show a relevant underutilization of available technological potential: even the most innovative transport companies implement less than half of the technological solutions nowadays available on the market. This work indicates that regulatory incentives and targeted public funding are crucial to shape innovation strategies, often favoring companies that already own greater resources and organizational capacity.