An operator of a rural bus service is considering replacing Fleet A with Fleet B. The service would carry the same number of passengers with either fleet, and all costs not shown in the table would be the same. The table shows annual data for the two fleets.
| Measure | Fleet A | Fleet B |
|---|---|---|
| Lease and maintenance cost (£ million per year) | 6.8 | 9.1 |
| Energy cost (£ million per year) | 3.4 | 1.9 |
| Carbon emissions (tonnes per year) | 8,600 | 2,100 |
| Cancelled services per year | 1,200 | 500 |
Which judgement about changing to Fleet B is best supported by the data?
Fleet B improves all three kinds of sustainability, because its lower emissions and fewer cancellations outweigh its higher cost.
Fleet B improves environmental and economic sustainability, because its lower energy cost cuts the operator's total annual cost.
Fleet B improves environmental sustainability, but leaves social sustainability unchanged because the same number of passengers is carried.
Fleet B improves environmental and social sustainability, but its higher total annual cost could weaken economic sustainability.
77 exam-style questions on OCR GCSE Economics 1.2 The basic economic problem, covering 1.2.1 Scarce resources and unlimited wants, 1.2.2 The economic problem, 1.2.3 Opportunity cost, and 1.2.4 Costs and benefits of economic choices. Each one has a worked solution and a mark scheme showing where the marks go.