What cognitive mechanisms predict travel mode choice? A systematic review with meta-analysis

Reduced private car use can limit greenhouse gas emissions and improve public health. It is unclear, however, how promotion of alternative transport choices can be optimised. A systematic review and meta-analysis was conducted to identify potentially modifiable cognitive mechanisms that have been related to car use and use of alternative transport modes. A qualitative synthesis of measures of potentially modifiable mechanisms based on 43 studies yielded 26 conceptually distinct mechanism categories. Meta-analyses of associations between these mechanisms and car use/non-use generated 205 effects sizes (Pearson’s r) from 35 studies. The strongest correlates of car use were intentions, perceived behavioural control, attitudes and habit. The strongest correlates of alternative transportation choices were intentions, perceived behavioural control and attitudes. Implications for researchers and policy implementation are discussed.     

What drives people to accept automated vehicles? Findings from a field experiment

This field study aims at understanding the influence of direct experience of an automated vehicle (AV, Level 3) and explaining and predicting public acceptance of AVs through a psychological model. The model includes behavioral intention (BI) to use self-driving vehicles (SDVs, Level 5), willingness to re-ride (WTR) in our AV (Level 3), and their four potential determinants, namely perceived usefulness (PU), perceived ease of use (PEU), trust related to SDVs, and perceived safety (PS) while riding in our AV. The last two determinants are largely ignored, but we consider them critical in the context of AVs. Three-hundred students were invited as participants (passengers) to experience the AV. The trust, PU, PEU, and BI of the participants were recorded prior to their experiencing the AV; after this experience, all the constructs of the psychological model were recorded. The participants’ experience with the AV was found to increase their trust, PU and PEU (but not BI), the consistency between PU/PEU and BI, and the explanatory power of BI. The model explained 55% of the variance in BI and 40% in WTR. PU, trust, and PS were found to be steady and direct predictors of both the acceptance measures; PEU predicted BI only after the participants’ AV experience. Mediation analysis showed that trust also can indirectly affect AV acceptance through other determinants. Out-of-sample prediction confirmed the model’s predictive capability for AV acceptance. The theoretical contributions and practical implications of the findings are discussed.     

What Moves Us? An Interdisciplinary Exploration of Reasons for Traveling

Abstract

We review a number of theories of motivation, and typologies of motivations, in psychological theory and in application to a variety of specific contexts, including shopping, eating, leisure, tourism, and travel. A recurring theme is the distinction between extrinsic (instrumental, utilitarian, functional) and intrinsic (autotelic, hedonic, experiential) motivations. We suggest that travel is a behavior to which intrinsic motivations apply, and that focusing exclusively on the extrinsic motivations to travel runs the risk of substantially underestimating the demand for travel, and the resistance to policies attempting to reduce it or to technologies (notably, information and communication technologies) expected to (partly) replace it. We offer a number of suggestions for improving standard travel surveys to help obtain the data needed to explore intrinsic motivations more fully. As better data become available, travel behavior models can be refined to partly account for such motivations. We believe that the resulting insights will be extremely valuable to policy-makers, planners, and behavioral scholars.     

Are railways really that bad? An evaluation of rail systems performance in Europe with a focus on passenger rail

With a large number of railway development projects in Europe and worldwide, which once completed will be serving rail passengers of the future, this paper aims to take a step back and evaluate current railway systems performance. The objectives are to compare statistical data on various passenger-related parameters of the railway system in a number of selected European countries and draw conclusions on the level of their performance when compared to the European average.Analyses of publically available statistical data, extracted from the Eurostat service at a European level will allow for a comparison of various indicators which influence the performance of the railway systems from an infrastructure and operational perspectives. The analyses will also allow identifying key performance indicators for the accurate assessment of the rail systems.The paper will highlight case studies for various parameters which are important to stakeholders of the railways, including infrastructure managers, rail operators, policy makers and the end users. This knowledge will be to the benefit of today’s railway industry as well as the rail systems of the future, as it will show trends drew upon existing data which might continue in the future.     

What do people know about their public transport options?

This paper studies the memory representations of residents regarding the public transport system in their city. Telephone interviews were conducted with a representative sample of 204 inhabitants in a selected residential inner-city area in Stockholm. Route knowledge questions, recognition tasks, free-recall tasks and estimations of service frequency were used to explore memory representations. The results showed that, in general, residents in metropolitan areas have good knowledge of the public transport options along well-known transport corridors. The memory representation of lesser-known transport corridors tends to be of a poorer quality. In the results presented here, the variables gender, age, employment status, level of education and car availability had no correlation with the quality of the memory representation, but experience increased knowledge. Although frequent users of public transport had a more detailed representation of the system, the less frequent users also had a considerable- and good-memory representation. An explorative hierarchy for representation of public transport lines in the memory is proposed. It is hypothesised that memory representations of a transport line can be affected by the following three factors: the extent to which a line is visible in the urban area, the straightness of the routes and whether or not stops are labelled, for example, by destination area. Simply put, these factors determine how well a person knows a line. It was found that people first remember a commuter train and a trunk bus line, followed by metro lines and suburban buses and finally normal inner-city buses with the poorest anchorage in memory.

Working from 9 to 6? An analysis of in-home and out-of-home working schedules

The widespread adoption of information and communication technologies (ICT) and flexible work arrangements have enabled people to schedule their work activities in more flexible ways. New forms of working have already emerged. However, research about flexible work schedules is still scarce. The aim of this study is to determine the factors impacting the propensity to adopt a flexible work schedule, and establish how and to what extent the timing of work is influenced by ICTs, work, and sociodemographic characteristics. The analysis suggests that work-related characteristics and ICT usage seem to be more important for work-schedule flexibility than sociodemographic characteristics are.     

Does the aviation Emission Trading System influence the financial evaluation of new airplanes? An assessment of present values and purchase options

In this paper we assess the impact of the CO₂ costs for short- and long-haul aircraft based on present values and on purchase options. We evaluate purchase options with a framework developed for real option analysis to estimate the value of flexibility under uncertain kerosene and CO₂ prices. We find an average influence of CO₂ costs on present values of €1.1 million for the short haul plane and €4.1 million for the long-haul plane over the typical lifetime of an airplane. For purchase options, we find a CO₂ influence of €0.43 million for the long-haul plane and a moderate impact for the short-haul plane. The results underline the importance of CO₂ and kerosene costs for long-haul aircraft.     

From willingness to action: Do push-pull-mooring factors matter for shifting to green transportation?

Motivating individuals to choose green transportation is becoming increasingly important. Based on push-pull-mooring framework, this study aims to explore how push, pull and mooring factors foster individual’s willingness to shift to green transportation. This study also analyzes the role of information provision in narrowing the gap between shifting willingness and behavior. The findings revealed that push factors, including perceived environmental threats and perceived inconvenience, drive individual’s mode-shift away from private cars, whereas the pull factors, including green transport policies and campaigns, and green transport system attract individual’s mode-shift to green transportation. Moreover, the mooring factor, namely inertia, not only negatively affects individual’s shifting willingness but also negatively moderates the effects of push and pull factors on individual’s shifting willingness. In addition, shifting willingness positively affects the shifting behavior and the information provision positively moderates the relationship among them. Such findings are vital to achieve the realization of China’s low-carbon goals.     

What are the determinants of the willingness to share rides in pooled on-demand services?

Transportation - Simulation studies suggest that pooled on-demand services (also referred to as Demand Responsive Transport, ridesharing, shared ride-hailing or shared ridesourcing services) have...     

How do people respond to congestion mitigation policies? A multivariate probit model of the individual consideration of three travel-related strategy bundles

This study explores the relationships between adoption and consideration of three travel-related strategy bundles (travel maintaining/increasing, travel reducing, and major location/lifestyle change), linking them to a variety of explanatory variables. The data for this study are the responses to a fourteen-page survey returned by nearly 1,300 commuting workers living in three distinct San Francisco Bay area neighborhoods in May 1998. We first identified patterns of adoption and consideration among the bundles, using pairwise correlation tests. The test results indicate that those who have adopted coping strategies continue to seek for improvements across the spectrum of generalized cost, but perhaps most often repeating the consideration of a previously-adopted bundle. Furthermore, we developed a multivariate probit model for individuals’ simultaneous consideration of the three bundles. It is found that in addition to the previous adoption of the bundles, qualitative and quantitative Mobility-related variables, Travel Attitudes, Personality, Lifestyle, Travel Liking, and Sociodemographics significantly affect individual consideration of the strategy bundles. Overall, the results of this study give policy makers and planners insight into understanding the dynamic nature of individuals’ responses to travel-related strategies, as well as differences between the responses to congestion that are assumed by policy makers and those that are actually adopted by individuals.

What is behind fare evasion in urban bus systems? An econometric approach

Fare evasion is a problem in many public transport systems around the world and policies to reduce it are generally aimed at improving control and increasing fines. We use an econometric approach to attempt explaining the high levels of evasion in Santiago, Chile, and guide public policy formulation to reduce this problem. In particular, a negative binomial count regression model allowed us to find that fare evasion rates on buses increase as: (i) more people board (or alight) at a given bus door, (ii) more passengers board by a rear door, (iii) buses have higher occupancy levels (and more doors) and (iv) passengers experience longer headways. By controlling these variables (ceteris paribus), results indicate that evasion is greater during the afternoon and evening, but it is not clear that it is higher during peak hours. Regarding socioeconomic variables, we found that fare evasion at bus stops located in higher income areas (municipalities) is significantly lower than in more deprived areas. Finally, based on our results we identified five main methods to address evasion as alternatives to more dedicated fine enforcement or increased inspection; (i) increasing the bus fleet, (ii) improving the bus headway regularity, (iii) implementing off-board payment stations, (iv) changing the payment system on board and (v) changing the bus design (number of doors or capacity). Our model provides a powerful tool to predict the reduction of fare evasion due to the implementation of some of these five operational strategies, and can be applied to other bus public transport systems.     

Can rail/sail compete with air travel to Cyprus? A comparison of emissions

Rail and sea voyage journeys to Cyprus from a variety of origins are constructed to derive the travel emissions and travel time per person to compare popular aviation routes. The hypothetical ‘slow travel’ routes are approximately eight to ten times longer than flying. Emissions are lower from certain origins by about 100 kg CO₂ per person per round trip under reasonably high occupancy conditions when compared to current direct air services. Emissions from the sea voyages are derived from a sample of 162 marine vessels using the energy efficiency design index for European ships running at 20 knots.     

What Does Happen to Our Driving When We Get Older?

Abstract

The objective of this paper is to uncover the main antecedents associated with driving errors among older drivers in order to establish a framework for analyzing potential skill improvements using other approaches, for example, games. The article also aims at classifying age-related declines in seniors' abilities associated with their driving performance. The research undertakes an analysis of attempts made through the investigation of the literature. We have systematically searched papers and extracted (1) prevalent driving errors among seniors and (2) underlying age-related declines in seniors' abilities associated with their driving performance. We have also identified some characteristics of the research in this area (e.g. the research methods and geographical distribution of the research). Our expert panel mapped the functional declines in seniors' abilities to the driving errors to identify the relationship between these findings. A reliability test resulted in 81% reliability of findings. We have identified eight groups of driving errors, which could be affected by physical, visual, and cognitive declines among seniors. According to the experts' opinions, the underlying relationship of physical, visual, and cognitive declines among seniors and their driving errors were also presented. Our findings show that there is a potential for the use of innovative interventions such as playing video games to create an inexpensive, motivational, and enjoyable method that may provide a transfer effect to specific driving skills. This could help improve seniors' driving performance by improving specific functional abilities associated with driving.     

Coal transportation: An undervalued aspect of energy modeling?

Changes in the supply of, and demand for, energy are reflected by the spatial pattern of energy flows. Review of energy modeling research indicates that while supply and demand variables are highly disaggregated, other aspects, such as transportation, are represented in more generalized form. Consistent economic and geographic scales are vital to the successful application of energy models to policy formulation and decision-making. Consistency of scale is examined between models and within models. Internal inconsistency of scale is demonstrated in two complex coal models which fail to provide sufficient detail on transportation characteristics. Since transportation characteristics are a major influence on the allocation of coal, insufficient disaggregation introduces error components that result in regional bias. Solutions may be found in improved model specification, transportation submodels, and rigorous sensitivity analysis of spatial error distribution.     

Comparing French carpoolers and non-carpoolers: Which factors contribute the most to carpooling?

Carpooling is an effective solution to major environmental problems but it is insufficiently used, particularly in France. In order to increase carpooling, it is important to understand why people do or not carpool. This study, carried out a large sample of drivers, was aimed at (1) identifying whether or not people carpool, (2) investigating the factual data (e.g. socio-demographics, transportation accessibility) and motivational factors (e.g. attitudes regarding car use, public transportation, environment) upon which carpoolers and non-carpoolers differ, and (3) highlighting the main determinants of the practice of carpooling. An online survey was administered to 1207 French drivers (48% men, ages 19–87) recruited by means of a random-quota method. In our sample, 52.5% of the participants said they were using carpooling. Carpoolers and non-carpoolers were similar in terms of kilometers driven per year, distance to their workplace or schools/universities, and public transportation accessibility. Compared to non-carpoolers, carpoolers were more likely to be women, have children, have positive attitudes toward public transport, and be more environmentally aware. These results suggest various different strategies for increasing the number of carpoolers and the frequency of carpooling use by taking into account the gender of road users.     

What are the determinants in making people free riders in proof-of-payment transit systems? Evidence from Italy

Nowadays, in proof-of-payment transit systems, fare evasion is provoking strong interest in public transport companies (PTCs) due to the relevant economic losses, social inequity and increased levels of violence affecting personal security. Therefore, there is the need to recognize possible fare evaders. By using 2177 on-board personal interviews, gathered from an Italian PTC, and logistic regression models, we isolate determinants of possible free-rider passengers and, hence, those whom it might be advisable to target in order to capitalize on the effect of the application of countermeasures on fare evasion put forward by the local PTC. We show that males, younger than 26 years, with a low education level, unemployed and/or students and without an alternative mode of transport other than the bus are more probably fare evaders. Moreover, people who make trips of shorter than 15 min, who are systematic users and are not satisfied with the service are possible fare evaders. Finally, we found that a low level of inspection, knowledge of fines and previous ticket violations are determinants which make people more prone to evade fares. These outcomes are very useful, because, to the best of our knowledge, they represent the first empirical contribution showing the determinants which help evaluate the propensity to be a fare evader, in probabilistic terms. Moreover, they could help PTCs understand who might be a fare evader, in order to anticipate suitable countermeasures.     

What determines university student’s willingness to pay for bikeways?

Transportation - Inadequate infrastructure is recognized as an important barrier to cycling; therefore, improvements in the provision of bicycle facilities, such as bikeways, are frequently...     

Is the intention to use public transport for different travel purposes determined by different factors?

The objective of this study was to examine the psychological predictors of the intention to use public transport for three travel purposes: work or study, shopping, and leisure. An expanded version of the theory of planned behaviour (TPB) which contains overall image and past behaviour is used. Data were gathered through the survey of 392 residents living in the central parts of Kuala Lumpur in Malaysia. These data were analysed using the partial least squares technique. The results indicate that attitude and perceived behavioural control are significant predictors of the intention to use public transportation for various purposes. Further, they explain between 34.6% and 49.8% of the intention variance. By adding the overall image and past behaviour to the original predictors in the TPB, the explained variance, with regard to work or study, shopping, and leisure purposes, increased by 5.6%, 5.1%, and 6.8%, respectively.     

What Happened to the National Road Carrier in a Post‐Communist Country? The Case of Poland's State Road Transport

Abstract

The purpose of this article is to seek to reconstruct the ownership transformation involving Poland's State Road Transport (PKS) companies passed through after 1990. Data collected from various sources (above all the Internet) were used to establish the degree of advancement of the transformation processes. Despite the passage of 18 years since the new economic reforms were launched, privatization processes are not well advanced. State ownership remains dominant, in the form of Treasury companies as well as state‐owned enterprises. Privatization processes have encompassed fewer than half of all firms, the most popular form taken (in about a quarter of all analysed cases) involving leasing by workers. This would seem of major interest, attesting as it does to the greater activity of some worker's teams, as well as the passive role of the state in privatization processes. A much smaller number of firms (26) have been purchased by external investors, the only important international concern among these being Veolia, which had taken control of 11 PKS companies as of mid‐2006. By and large, it is the firms carrying passengers or passenger and goods that are in a much better situation, as opposed to the companies that are commodity‐carriers only. The majority of the latter have collapsed, or have undergone the kind of privatization that involves simultaneous shutdown. Mixed passenger and goods carriers have had to reduce their level of activity in commodity transport.     

Evaluating a concept design of a crowd-sourced ‘mashup’ providing ease-of-access information for people with limited mobility

This study investigates the impact of using a concept map-based ‘mashup’ (www.accessadvisr.net) to provide volunteered (i.e. user contributed) ease of access information to travellers with limited mobility. A scenario-based user trial, centred around journey planning, was undertaken with 20 participants, divided equally between (1) those who have physical restrictions on their mobility, due to disability, illness or injury, and (2) those with practical mobility constraints due to being parents with young children who have to use a child’s pushchair when using public transport. Both user groups found the concept useful, but its potential impact was less for the pushchair user group. There were mixed views in relation to the ability of the mashup to convey the trustworthiness, credibility and reliability of information necessary for journey planning. The study identified a number of key information-related user requirements which help enable effective design of user contributed web-based resources for travellers with mobility-related issues.