Discover data-driven insights on how environmental, social and economic (ESE) impact estimation is influenced by key parameters, benchmarks, public policies and guidance documents, and how infrastructure investments can help create sustainable, resilient and inclusive societies through their ESE impacts.

A shorthand tool for estimating ESE impacts

This tool is a faster, more accessible and more affordable way for governments and project proponents to conduct a preliminary cost-benefit analysis and estimate the environmental, social and economic (ESE) benefits of bus transport projects – thereby enabling early-stage decisionmaking about these investments.

The tool makes leading cost-benefit analysis expertise available, at no cost, to help guide quality infrastructure development.

Benefits of this shorthand tool for cost-benefit analysis

The tool helps governments and project proponents make early-stage decisions about infrastructure

Undertaking a complete cost-benefit analysis can be expensive. In fact, for many cities and municipal authorities, the time and resource costs can be prohibitive. This cost barrier can complicate early-stage decisionmaking and block further analysis of local projects that have the potential to provide important societal benefits.

This shorthand tool enables governments and project proponents to define and articulate the ESE benefits of potential bus projects in a quicker, more accessible and affordable manner.

Who can use the tool?

The tool does not require specialised cost-benefit analysis or transportation planning expertise, but it is useful to have reasonable knowledge of Microsoft Excel. The benefit of the shorthand tool is that it incorporates a fully-fledged cost-benefit analysis within a model that is widely accessible to non-experts. It incorporates leading practices to enable analysis to guide early-stage decisionmaking.

Importantly, the shorthand tool can also be used to show the distribution of benefits by gender and income group. Distributional effects are becoming increasingly important to attracting the attention of governments around the world, and are typically not assessed in conventional cost-benefit analysis.

How does the tool work, and what inputs are needed?

The tool consists of a Microsoft Excel spreadsheet that contains the model itself as well as guidance on what inputs are needed and how to use the spreadsheet. There are some minimum required inputs, and a range of optional inputs. In many cases the tool has embedded guidance, benchmarks, and assumptions to help users complete the required and optional inputs.The required inputs are:

• Capital and operational costs.
• Discount rates.
• Current and projected trip data related to bus and automobile use in the study area*
• Expected impacts of the bus transport project and automobile use in the study area.

It is important to note that the tool provides several forms of guidance to derive default values (benefits and costs) based on the user’s project parameters. For example, users can estimate capital and operating costs with just a few inputs.

As an output, the tool produces a cost-benefit analysis and results summary that can be used to put forward the investment for further consideration and analysis. As shown below, users need only to provide a limited number of inputs into the model. The model itself does the transit demand modeling, impact modeling, and cost-benefit analysis calculations. More detailed guidance is available in the model spreadsheet.

*Current transit and vehicular data for your locality can be obtained from StreetLight Data, whose metrics cover U.S. and Canadian origin-destination, travel volume, travel times, and traveler income demographics.