A behaviorally informed multi-criteria framework for electric bus supplier selection: Integrating IDOCRIW and TODIM

Abstract

The proliferation of motorized vehicles over the past century has significantly intensified environmental challenges, par-ticularly in densely populated urban areas. This study aims to identify the most appropriate electric bus (EB) supplierto support Istanbul’s sustainable public transportation goals. To account for both data-driven objectivity and behavioraldecision-making biases often present in procurement contexts, the study integrates a behavioral decision-making tech-nique (TODIM), grounded in Prospect Theory, with an objective Integrated Determination of Objective Criteria Weights(IDOCRIW). Applying the model to secondary data from Istanbul Electric Tram and Tunnel Enterprises (IETT), S1 wasranked as the top supplier with a normalized dominance score of 1.000, outperforming the second-best alternative (S2,0.865). The results demonstrate the robustness of the proposed model in effectively differentiating between supplieroptions using both objective and behaviorally sensitive criteria. These findings provide practical guidance to municipaltransportation authorities and policymakers seeking to reduce emissions and improve operational efficiency throughdata-informed EB procurement decisions. This study is the first to apply an integrated IDOCRIW-TODIM framework toelectric bus supplier selection, utilizing real operational data from a major emerging-market metropolis. It offers bothmethodological innovation and context-specific decision support, which are largely absent in the existing literature.