How does smart transportation technology promote green total factor productivity? The case of China

Understanding the role of smart transportation technology in driving China along an efficient development path is crucial; nonetheless, scholars have paid little attention to the pathways toward green total factor productivity through smart transportation technology. Hence, this study aims to assess the level of smart transportation technology, and then investigate its impact on green total factor productivity using the instrumental variable-generalized method of moments (IV-GMM) model. Our main findings are as follows: (1) The primary finding provides solid evidence of the positive impact of smart transportation technology on green total factor productivity, which means smart transportation technology effectively and efficiently accelerates the green development process. (2) The asymmetric nexus between smart transportation technology and green total factor productivity indicates that smart transportation technology plays a more powerful role in areas with lower levels of green total factor productivity despite the fact that a positive relationship exists across all quantiles. (3) The increasing green total factor productivity effect caused by smart transportation technology development is realized through enhanced energy consumption efficiency and industrial structure transition. We propose some suggestions for improving green total factor productivity from the perspective of better smart transportation technology research and application.