Title: European semi-periphery under environmental pressure: the case of urban public bus transportation and private bus-makers in Poland

Authors: Bolesław Domański; Robert Guzik; Krzysztof Gwosdz; Arkadiusz Kołoś; Jakub Taczanowski

Addresses: Institute of Geography and Spatial Management, Jagiellonian University, Gronostajowa 7, 30-431 Kraków, Poland ' Institute of Geography and Spatial Management, Jagiellonian University, Gronostajowa 7, 30-431 Kraków, Poland ' Institute of Geography and Spatial Management, Jagiellonian University, Gronostajowa 7, 30-431 Kraków, Poland ' Institute of Geography and Spatial Management, Jagiellonian University, Gronostajowa 7, 30-431 Kraków, Poland ' Institute of Geography and Spatial Management, Jagiellonian University, Gronostajowa 7, 30-431 Kraków, Poland

Abstract: The authors explore the factors shaping the adoption of low-emission vehicles in urban public transportation in Poland. The country has leapfrogged to a position among European leaders in the manufacturing of hybrid and electric buses within 20 years due to foreign investors (Volvo) and domestic enterprises (Solaris). At the same time, the adoption of new powertrain technologies in urban public transportation has lagged behind Western Europe. Contrary to the hypothesis there is no hierarchical diffusion of hybrid and electric vehicles from major cities to medium-sized and smaller towns in Poland. EU regulations provide a general legal framework for environmentally-friendly public transportation; however, they do not determine the adoption rates of particular low-emissions technologies. The actual pattern of use of hybrid and electric vehicles in urban public transportation in Poland seems to depend on local factors in the main, including institutional arrangements, social and personal characteristics.

Keywords: urban transport; public transport; environmental pressure; low-emission vehicles; electric buses; hybrid buses; institutional arrangements; sustainable mobility; automobile industry; bus manufacturing; Poland; automotive manufacturing; cities; powertrain technologies; electric vehicles; hybrid vehicles.

DOI: 10.1504/IJATM.2016.080786

International Journal of Automotive Technology and Management, 2016 Vol.16 No.3, pp.301 - 318

Received: 08 Jan 2016
Accepted: 26 Apr 2016

Published online: 07 Dec 2016 *

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