Impacto de la nueva economía sobre el transporte looks at how the “new economy” – encompassing the latest wave of advances in information and communication technologies (ICTs) – has affected transport on both the technological and socioeconomic plane. Although these changes have been dissected in numerous studies, few have scrutinized their specific impact on the transport of goods and passengers.

This research gap is especially pertinent in view of how new technologies are transforming the sector and its key importance for economic activity, both as an intermediate input in the majority of production processes and as an indispensable medium for participating in essential areas of everyday life: work, shopping, leisure, etc. The book starts with a broad discussion about the implications of the new economy with regard to growth and competitiveness, looking particularly at the Spanish case. Within this frame of reference, it goes on to examine the main aspects of the transport market, analyzing the key demand drivers in freight and passenger transport and the size of elasticities with respect to fares and journey time. The third chapter goes into more depth on how the new economy impacts on transport using a variety of methodological tools.

This publication fills an important gap in ICT studies, examining the complex forms in which economy and sector interact on the general plane – including the growth of e-mail and Internet use – and as applied on the ground via, for instance, intelligent transport systems, and combines technical rigor with an educational focus that brings its subject alive for the general reader.