The electrification of local public transport as a strategic wayfinding process: policy implementation, path dependence, and organizational practices in Italy

Abstract

This article examines the electrification of local public transportation in Italy as a complex and uneven organizational transformation, which is an underexplored dimension in existing research. Drawing on nearly four years of qualitative research, the study employs the theoretical lenses of strategic wayfinding and organizational path dependence to analyze how public transportation authorities (PTAs) navigate the transition to electric buses. The findings reveal that electrification is not a linear implementation of policy; rather it is an emergent process shaped by institutional mandates, technological uncertainties, and localized conditions. Rapid changes, driven by top-down regulations and funding logics, often constrain local agency and hamper strategic decision-making. At the same time, the widespread framing of electrification as the ‘one best way’ to greener transportation may restrict technological options and reinforce symbolic pressures. PTAs must respond to evolving battery technologies and infrastructure needs while adapting their strategies to diverse environmental, geographical, and organizational contexts. The study shows how path dependent trajectories both enable and inhibit change, depending on how past investments and practices are interpreted and mobilized. These findings furnish new insights into the organizational dynamics of sustainable mobility transitions, and they underscore the need for multifaceted policies that combine funding with flexible regulation to support rapid technological advances and cross-sector collaboration. Strengthening skills development, aligning strategies with local authorities, and fostering proactive stakeholder engagement are also essential for addressing the diverse challenges of electrification across urban and regional contexts.