Using vehicle monitoring technology and eco-driver training to reduce fuel use and emissions in tourism: a ski resort case study

Abstract

Ground-based transport moves more tourists than any other form of transportation and contributes c. 32% of tourism's carbon dioxide (CO 2 ) emissions -yet remains a largely neglected area of emission/carbon management research. This study examines the value of vehicle monitoring technology (VMT) and eco-driver training as a means to improve fuel efficiency and reduce CO 2 emissions for a fleet of vehicles at the largest ski resort operation in Ontario, Canada. The VMT was installed in 14 fleet vehicles. After eco-driver training, the fleet reduced its average daily speed (À14%), hard decelerations (À55%), hard accelerations (À44%), and idling time (À2%), resulting in decreased fuel costs (À8%) and CO 2 emissions (À8%). The process requires very low capital expenditures, can pay for itself in as little as one year, and has safety paybacks. It also has valuable externalities: tourism businesses that instill sustainability awareness and values to their employees contribute to environmental prosperity generally, because eco-trained drivers also drive more efficiently in their everyday lives. This is the first known study to quantify the benefits of driver training and behavioral intervention within a tourism context, demonstrating the potential to enhance environmental sustainability while simultaneously reducing operating costs. Technicalities, issues, and future application possibilities are discussed.

Eco-driving technology for sustainable road transport: A review

“…They found that new drivers' understanding of eco-driving was at an operational level and had been clearly shaped by their driving education, while experienced drivers' understanding was broader and included strategic and tactical decisions. [106] 6h theoretical and practical training 45 (EG) + 14 (CG) car drivers 2-month before and 6-10-month after training Queensland Australia [101] Simple theoretical training 13 drivers using one automatic car Immediately before and after training Athens Greece [174] Theoretical and practical training 3 bus drivers 1.5-month before, immediately and 2-month after training Helsinki Finland [109] 7h eco-driving (or first-aid) course 29 (EG) + 18 (CG) bus drivers using a simulator Immediately before, immediately and 6-month after training Germany [100] Incentives and half-day theoretical training 91 logistics drivers (<1/3 CG) 12-month before and 6-month after training Uppsala Sweden [44] Theoretical and practical training (stronger acceleration) 350 bus drivers + CG 3-month short-term study Uppsala Sweden [107] Theoretical and practical training (stronger acceleration) 350-400 bus drivers, 249 EG Several years before and one year after training Ontario Canada [175] Tailored courses based on pre-training data 64 drivers 10-month before and 6-month after training California USA [110] Being asked to visit EcoDrivingUSA website 51 (EG) + 53 (CG) drivers 4-month survey study Portugal [102] 4h eco-driving education and individual performance report 9 (EG) + 11 (CG) drivers 2-3-month before and after training France [97] Eco-driving training and simple eco-driving advice 20 (simple advice) + 19 (training) drivers Immediately before and after training Belgium [103,108] 4h theoretical and practical course 10 private drivers Several months before and after training Singapore [104] Theoretical and practical training 116 drivers Immediately before and after training Sweden [99] In-vehicle feedback system and personal training 54 bus drivers including CG 3-week before and after training Calgary Canada [105] Tailored course based on pre-training data (focus on idling) 200 drivers trained, 15 examined 1-month before and after training * EG: experimental group. CG: control group.…”

Dynamic capabilities driving an eco-based advantage and performance in global hotel chains: The moderating effect of international strategy

“…Other studies have focused on the determinants of resource consumption that influence hotels' environmental conduct, such as laundry load for water use (Deng and Burnett, 2002), air temperature for energy use (Chan and Mak, 2004), and occupancy rate for waste produced (Chan and Wong, 2006). In addition, some scholars focused on the development of environmental management systems' indicators that can be used by hotels for the evaluation of environmental performance (Gössling, 2015;Hsiao et al, 2014), while others introduced new environmental management approaches for hotels and resorts (Kasim et al, 2014;Rutty et al, 2014).…”

Research in Sustainable Tourism: A Longitudinal Study of Articles between 2008 and 2017

“…Hence, various models have been formed to fulfill this objective, such as the three-gear model used to investigate tourists' choice of sustainable modes of transportation [42], and a hypothesized conceptual model to examine tourist behavior toward slow tourism [43]. The development of sustainable tourism is bound to gain support from all stakeholders and influence the supportive behavior of residents [44], the policy-making behavior of government officials [45], as well as the industry and academia's behavioral change from solely marketing to marketing sustainably [46]. Moreover, place attachment is affirmed to be crucial in cultivating the eco-friendly behavior of tourists [47,48].…”