Transportation Efficiency Evaluation Under the Policies of Energy Savings and Emissions Reduction

The transportation industry is considered the foundation and bridge of national economic development, enabling the growth of the social economy. However, it also consumes a considerable amount of energy, resulting in high levels of carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions. As a component of China’s vigorous promotion of energy-saving and emissions-reducing policies in recent years, it is crucial to maximize transportation efficiency without increasing transportation energy consumption and CO2 emissions. In this article, the transportation process in China is divided into two stages while maintaining the same total energy consumption and CO2 emissions. Additionally, the generalized equilibrium efficient frontier data envelopment analysis (GEEFDEA) model is enhanced to achieve this. The improved model extends the single-stage GEEFDEA model to a two-stage process, allowing for a more detailed analysis of the internal dynamics within the transportation system. Furthermore, in this article, the fixed inputs and outputs of the original model are further extended to include fixed undesired outputs, expanding the applicability of the model. This also enables the possibility of energy conservation and emissions reduction while promoting development and enhancing efficiency. Based on the improved model, the transport efficiency, energy consumption adjustment, and CO2 emissions adjustment of 30 provinces in China are measured. Finally, the transportation situation and characteristics of three regions, consisting of 30 provinces, are analyzed, and reasonable suggestions for the development of transportation in each region are presented. Furthermore, this article utilizes spatial econometric methods to analyze the impact factors of transportation economic efficiency and their corresponding spatial spillover effects by taking into consideration the intricate interrelationships among regions. The results indicate several findings. First, there is a significant positive spatial correlation in the transportation economic efficiency among Chinese provinces. Second, an increase in per capita gross domestic product, highway transportation, and the proportion of secondary industry have negative effects on transportation economic efficiency. Moreover, the increase in the proportion of secondary industry is negatively correlated with the efficiency of neighboring provinces. Finally, the improvement of energy-saving technology significantly promotes an increase in transportation economic efficiency.