Economic and Environmental Effects of Public Transport Subsidy Policies: a Spatial CGE Model of Beijing

Table 3

Comparison of benchmark equilibrium results with empirical evidence.

Parameter	SCGE value	Empirical value	Empirical source and explanation
Average hourly wage (¥/h)	24.48	24.23	Beijing Statistical Yearbook 2016, annual disposable income/2000 hrs
Average job–housing distance (km)	6.77	6.4	Reference [28]
Average commuting time (h)	0.545	0.583	Reference [28]
Public transport split rate	50.1%	50%	Beijing Traffic Development Annual Report 2016
Cross-price elasticity of demand for public transport with respect to gasoline price	0.2	0.1–0.8	Reference [29]
Own-price elasticity of demand for private car with respect to gasoline price	-0.5	-0.1– -0.5	Reference [30]
Own-price elasticity of demand for public transport with respect to fare	-0.035	-0.0171 (bus); -0.1538 (subway)	Reference [31]
Ratio of commuting travel to total travel	50.50%	51.96%	Beijing Traffic Development Annual Report 2016, including school commuting
Ratio of transport expense to total disposable income	6.5%	6.8%	Beijing Traffic Development Annual Report 2016, commuting expense/ disposable income