Background: Road transport comprised about 37 per cent of CO2 emissions from end-use sectors in 2021. Globally, net zero emissions require transport emissions reductions of 20 per cent by 2030. However, Barbados’ National Energy Policy (BNEP) 2019–2030 aims for a 100 per cent renewable energy economy and 100 per cent alternative fuel passenger fleet in its updated Nationally Determined Contribution. Since the BNEP’s approval, an electric bus fleet has been procured, taxes and duties have been waived on electric vehicles, and an Integrated Transport Plan has been drafted.

Purpose: This paper aims to compare measures proposed by sector professionals and transport users with stated preferences from the wider public as an initial indicator of the potential effectiveness of such policy solutions in reaching the normative goal of a sustainable transport sector by 2030.

Design and methods: A convergent parallel approach was applied, conducting a Delphi study (A, n = 20) with professionals in road transport and related sectors in Barbados and focus groups (B, n = 25) with public volunteers under 35 years and 35þ years to uncover potential policy solutions for sustainable sector transition. Deductive thematic analysis was conducted and transformed using descriptive statistics. A quantitative online survey (C, n = 1,092) gathered household data on transport behaviours and preferences. The most frequent preferences (≥ 50 per cent responses) from C were used to code the proposed solutions from A and B. A joint display illustrated the degree of alignment of A and B with C as a preliminary indicator of public acceptability and adoption.
Results and implications: Half of the Delphi participants believed the 2030 goal is attainable. This belief was less prevalent among private sector (80 per cent no) and government (43 per cent no) participants compared to others (academia, NGOs, and regional agencies – 100 per cent yes). These sub-groups also differed in the solutions proposed that were aligned with the surveyed household preferences or needs. For instance, the private sector focused most often on electric mobility in passenger vehicles, meeting 63 per cent of needs. Meanwhile, government stakeholders addressed a wider range (80 per cent), with solutions in most categories, including restructuring public transport and demand reduction measures. However, the focus groups captured 97 per cent of needs, particularly active mobility options omitted elsewhere.

These findings affirm the literature that indicates diverse stakeholder engagement should characterize both the ideation and consultation processes for designing policy packages in sociotechnical transitions. It also signals the contribution of beneficiary perspectives to policy articulation and potential acceptance. Therefore, the planned review of the BNEP should have a strong public consultation process, which was limited during its original development.