Fuzzy ZE-numbers framework in group decision-making using the BCM and CoCoSo to address sustainable urban transportation

•Proposing the group decision-making framework based on fuzzy ZE-numbers.•Extending the BCM and CoCoSo methods under fuzzy ZE-numbers.•Identifying influencing factors to the urban transportation alternatives selection.•Evaluating sustainable urban transportation alternatives to investment in Mexico City.•Evaluating the options to handle the transportation crisis in the 2026 World Cup. Urban transportation plays a crucial role in cities that host sports events. Mexico City, as one of the World Cup 2026 hosts, is one of the world's largest and most populous cities, with a population of over 22 million people. This city faces several challenges related to urban transportation. The purpose of this study is to develop a novel group decision-making framework for evaluating six sustainable alternatives for the management of urban transportation crises. Our proposed group decision framework develops the Base Criterion Method (BCM) and Combined Compromise Solution (CoCoSo) under the fuzzy ZE-numbers for the first time in the literature to obtain reliable decisions. Based on the opinions of decision-makers and expert votes on those opinions, the proposed approach offers a unique feature in decision sciences in that the reliability of decisions can be increased in two stages. Also, sensitive analyses were executed for each of the urban transportation alternatives based on the different states of the criteria groups. According to the findings, the optimum plan should be an investment in the Metro and electric Minibusses development to manage the urban transportation crisis in Mexico City. Also, findings show that applying the fuzzy ZE-numbers leads to more accurate and reliable results.