Ranking Specific Indicators for Sustainable Transportation Evaluation Based on Social Networks (Twitter)

Abstract

Objective: This study aims to rank the key sustainability indicators for urban transportation using data extracted from Twitter and a Delphi method for expert validation.

Methodology: The study utilized a two-stage approach: first, data collection from Twitter using relevant keywords and hashtags over two distinct periods (September 2020–April 2021 and February–April 2023), resulting in 55,340 relevant tweets. Sentiment analysis was conducted to classify tweets into positive, negative, and neutral categories. In the second stage, the Delphi method was employed with 32 transportation experts who analyzed the extracted data and identified 13 critical issues in sustainable transportation. The issues were then ranked using a five-point Likert scale based on their importance.

Findings: The findings revealed that "high transportation costs" emerged as the most critical issue, with a mean score of 4.75 out of 5. "Air pollution" and "traffic congestion" were ranked second and third, with mean scores of 4.719 and 4.688, respectively. Other identified challenges included the high cost of fuel, lack of parking spaces, poor vehicle conditions, insufficient driver skills, and inadequate salaries for drivers. Sentiment analysis indicated significant negative sentiments towards environmental and economic factors, particularly costs and pollution, while social factors like driver behavior and vehicle cleanliness received mixed sentiments.

Conclusion: The study underscores the multifaceted challenges in achieving sustainable transportation, with economic factors like costs and environmental issues such as air pollution being the most pressing concerns. The results highlight the need for targeted policies, such as subsidies, technological advancements in green transportation, and public awareness campaigns, to address these issues effectively and promote sustainable urban mobility.