Social Planning for eBRT Innovations: Multi-Criteria Evaluation of Societal Impacts

This paper develops and applies an ex-ante methodological framework to assess the societal optimisation of eBRT innovations within the Horizon Europe eBRT2030 project, using Multi-Criteria Decision Analysis (MCDA) and the PROMETHEE method. The study evaluates 11 eBRT innovations to be deployed in five demonstration sites in Europe and one in Colombia. Twenty social parameters, including 10 risks and 10 benefits, were weighted and scored through expert and stakeholder engagement, to calculate the Societal Optimisation Index (SOI). Positive SOI values indicate that societal benefits outweigh risks, and negative values indicate the opposite, while close-to-zero values indicate socially neutral or ambiguous options requiring case-specific judgement. The results indicate that innovations such as Adaptive Fleet Scheduling and Planning, Intelligent Driver Support Systems, and IoT Monitoring Platforms provide strong societal benefits with manageable risks, while charging-related innovations are associated with social concerns. The study emphasises the importance of social impact assessment prior to implementing innovations, to enable inclusive decision-making for policymakers and transport planners and enable the development of socially optimised eBRT systems. Embedding experts’ perspectives and social criteria ensures that technological innovations are aligned with societal needs, assisting the transition towards more equitable, low-carbon transport systems.