Assessment of commute-related emission reduction scenarios for administrative services

Mobile sources from administrative service commutes significantly contribute to air pollutant emissions in metropolises, underscoring the need for travel demand management (TDM) and referral reduction strategies. A software-oriented approach is crucial in metropolises like Karaj due to the high commuting volume. Evaluating pollutant emissions across scenarios offers insights for effective air pollution reduction strategies. Scenarios aim to assess air pollution management, considering software and hardware aspects. Data collection involved field interviews and questionnaires for individuals commuting to administrative offices. These challenges and considerations informed the classification of the studied vehicle fleet based on system types, production years, emission standards, fuel types, and vehicle classes. We designed scenarios to minimize standard pollutants by reducing in-person visits to administrative offices and replacing the fleet with hybrid and natural gas vehicles. Results were compared with the baseline scenario, computing emissions using the International Vehicle Emission Model (IVE). The comparative analysis highlighted that substantial pollutant reduction comes from combined commuting reduction and a decrease in referral numbers. TDM emerged as the most cost-effective strategy, executed with principled planning. In conclusion, this study's scenario exploration provides insights for policymakers and urban planners. Adopting a software-oriented approach to mitigate air pollutant emissions through commute reduction and strategic TDM can significantly enhance air quality and curb traffic-related pollution in cities like Karaj.