# Integrated People and Freight Transportation:
## 7 Future Research  
IPFT started to utilize the unused capacity of public vehicles for freight and package transportation. This approach has grown significantly as numerous new companies enter the market, leveraging freight brokerage platforms to match shippers and carriers, thereby maximizing transport capacity sharing, reducing empty distances, and speeding up shipping times [19]. This section presents suggestions for future work that will contribute to the development of this field and help mitigate its challenges.  
To advance operational IPFT services, implementation is required at corporate and business levels [110]. Effective planning processes and policies are needed to address these challenges [113]. Challenges could be mitigated through the regulation of goods types, planning integrated transportation services, and implementing regulations regarding privacy and data security [4].  
Competitive pricing is essential for attracting demand for freight in public rail transportation [14]. While most studies have traditionally considered customer pricing within various pricing frameworks, due to the intricate influence of pricing on both supply and demand, it may be more appropriate to view pricing as a decision variable and determine it through an optimization model. Integrating different modes of public transportation can optimize resources, providing a time-efficient and cost-effective service for all stakeholders involved. The existing infrastructure of transfer hubs, which facilitate passenger transitions between different modes of public transport, can also serve as transfer points for goods [4]. Additionally, sources of uncertainty, such as the capacity of storage facilities for freight in public transportation, non-time-sensitive operating scenarios, and unexpected operational emergencies, must be managed cost-effectively and time-efficiently [9]. Increasing encouragement in this context will also contribute to resolving real-life problems.  
If passengers feel uncomfortable with this integration, research can be conducted to evaluate [14] and understand [4] this service from the passengers' perspective. Carefully planned freight center locations, routes, and schedules for freight vehicles can address certain challenges, minimizing conflicts between people and cargo and reducing passengers' inconvenience [4].  
In practice, each public transportation mode has its advantages and disadvantages. For example, subways and trains offer greater speed and punctuality than buses, providing more comprehensive service coverage [4]. However, real-life scenarios must be developed to address potential program misses [9,14] and load uncertainties [14]. Researchers can attempt to address sub-problems related to all three types of integrated systems within a dynamic and stochastic environment to reflect greater realism, given the limited scope of research in this domain [4]. Future research may also focus on extending studies with other optimization objectives, such as accounting for vehicle noise [138], randomness in size and weight, and incorporating storage capacity constraints to improve the feasibility of the service plan [9].  
In future studies, additional demand types (e.g., waste, recycling) could be added to scenario definitions to examine demand patterns and other future urban transport systems, including return flows [113], thereby contributing to sustainability and the UN SDGs. Determining strategies regarding health and safety and ensuring a structure that protects passengers and cargo will also contribute to developing passenger and cargo transportation integration.