Understanding Electric Bicycle Users’ Mode Choice Preference under Uncertainty: A Case Study of Shanghai

The electric bicycle is considered as an environmentally friendly mode, the market share of which is growing fast worldwide. Even in metropolitan areas which have a well-developed public transportation system, the usage of electric bicycles continues to grow. Compared with bicycles, the power transferred from the battery enables users to ride faster and have long-distance trips. However, research on electric bicycle travel behavior is inadequate. This paper proposes a cumulative prospect theory (CPT) framework to describe electric bicycle users’ mode choice behavior. Different from the long-standing use of utility theory, CPT considers travelers’ inconsistent risk attitudes. Six socioeconomic characteristics are chosen to discriminate conservative and adventurous electric bicycle users. Then, a CPT model is established which includes two parts: travel time and travel cost. We calculate the comprehensive cumulative prospect value (CPV) for four transportation modes (electric bicycle, bus, subway and private car) to predict electric bicycle users’ mode choice preference under different travel distance ranges. The model is further validated via survey data.

THE INFLUENCE OF SOCIOECONOMIC STATUS ON THE MODES CHOICE OF TRANSPORTATION IN MANADO CITY

Good infrastructure and transportation facilities move people and goods take place safely and economically in terms of time and cost. The trips made by people on weekdays or weekends affect environmental conditions in the area. The purpose of this paper is to find out the influence of socioeconomic status on modes choice of transportation both on weekdays and weekends. The study location is in Manado Municipality. There are 3 (three) modes of transportation reviewed, i.e. private cars, motorcycles, and public transportation. Indicators of socioeconomics status of transportation users are age, education, occupation, income, number of family members, and vehicle ownership. Data regarding the modes of transportation and socioeconomic status of travelers were obtained through questionnaire surveys. SEM-AMOS was used to measure the validity and reliability of the data. The probability of the mode choice on weekdays and weekends was analyzed using multinomial logistic regression analysis. The results showed that the socioeconomic status of the traveler has an influence on the mode choice of transportation by 49.2% on weekends and 49.5% on weekdays. Furthermore, the probability of transportation mode choice on weekends is the car by 88.4%, and on weekdays is motorcycles by 71.6%.

Mobility Patterns and Mode Choice Preferences during the COVID-19 Situation

The empirical research on the COVID-19 epidemic’s consequences suggests a major drop in human mobility and a significant shift in travel patterns across all forms of transportation. We can observe a shift from public transport and an increase in car use, and in some cases also increase of cycling and (less often) walking. Furthermore, it seems that micromobility and, more generally, environmentally friendly and comanaged mobility (including shared services), are gaining ground. In previous research, much attention was paid to the mode choice preferences during lockdown, or early stages of the SARS-CoV-2 situation. The blind spot, and aim of this work, is how long observed changes in mode choice last and when or if we can expect the mode choice to shift back to the situation before the SARS-CoV-2 episodes. The research sample consisted of 636 cases; in total, 10 countries contributed to the sample examined in this study. The data were collected in two phases: the first in the spring of 2020 and the second in the fall of the same year. Results showed that respondents reduced mobility by car, local public transport and walking, but not bicycling during the lockdown, compared to the time before the pandemic started. When the easing came, respondents assessed their own use of the car and walking as almost back to normal. They also reported an increase in the use of public transport, but not reaching the level prior the pandemic by far. It seems that cycling was affected least by the pandemic; use of a bicycle hardly changed at all. As for the implication of our study, it is evident that special attention and actions will be needed to bring citizens back to public transport, as it seems that the impact of the pandemic on public transport use will last much longer than the pandemic itself.

Exploring Travel Mode Preference of External Trips for Smart City Transportation Planning: Sejong, Korea

In the face of growing concerns about urban problems, smart cities have emerged as a promising solution to address the challenges, for future sustainable societies in cities. Since the early 2000s, 67 local governments in Korea have been participating in smart city projects, as of 2019. The Sejong 5-1 Living Area smart city was selected as one of two pilot national demonstration smart cities. The main objectives of this study are to introduce the Sejong 5-1 Living Area smart city project that is currently in the planning stage, present travel and mode preferences focusing on external trips in a smart city context to be built, and analyze a mode choice model according to the socioeconomic characteristics of individual travelers. One of the distinguishing features of the Sejong smart city is its transportation design concept of designating a sharing car-only district within the city to limit private vehicle ownership to about one-third of residents, while bus rapid transit (BRT) plays a central role in mobility for external trips among four transport modes including private cars, BRT, carsharing, and ridesharing. This study was analyzed using the stated preference survey data under hypothetical conditions by reflecting the unique characteristics of the Sejong smart city transportation policy. Approximately two-thirds of respondents in the survey preferred to spend less than 1.25 USD, traveling less than 35 min on BRT trips. On the basis of the survey data, we developed a mixed logit mode choice model and found the overall model estimates to be statistically significant and reasonable. All people-specific variables examined in this study were associated with mode choices for external commuting trips, including age, income, household size, major mode, driving ability, and presence of preschoolers.