Abstract

This study evaluates the sustainability efficiency of alternative fuel buses within the public transportation system using an integrated model combining Life Cycle Sustainability Assessment (LCSA) with Principal Component Analysis (PCA) and Data Envelopment Analysis (DEA). This study evaluates six buses that run on diesel, electric, and Compressed Natural Gas (CNG) and are produced and recycled in different nations to comprehend the societal, economic, and environmental effects. with the aim of understanding their environmental, economic, and social impacts. Thirteen sustainability indicators were assessed, including Global Warming Potential (GWP), Particulate Matter Formation (PMF), Water Consumption, and Total tax. PCA was used to reduce the complexity of these indicators, and DEA was employed to assess the relative efficiency of each bus type by using the environmental impacts as inputs and the socioeconomic impacts as model outputs. The resulting sustainability scores were clustered into three categories: poor (3), fair (2), and excellent (1), reflecting the overall sustainability performance of each bus type. The clustering analysis revealed that CNG buses from Turkey recycled in China and India clustered as excellent and fair categories, with sustainability scores of 1 and 0.8798, respectively. Due to their balanced environmental and economic profiles, while electric and diesel buses were clustered as poor, primarily due to high life cycle costs and greater resource consumption. The results underscore the need for targeted strategies to improve electric buses' sustainability by improving Qatar's energy mix and phasing out diesel options in favor of more sustainable alternatives.