Investigating the influence of latent lifestyles on productive travels: Insights into designing autonomous transit system

Authors

Ali Shamshiripour
Ehsan Rahimi
Abolfazl (Kouros) Mohammadian
Joshua Auld

Document Type

Journal Article

Publication Date

2020

Subject Area

place - north america, place - urban, planning - surveys, planning - methods, planning - service improvement, ridership - behaviour, technology - intelligent transport systems

Keywords

Travel-based multitasking, Productivity, Lifestyle, Worthwhile use of travel time, Autonomous transit

Abstract

As a special case of multitasking, travel-based multitasking typically refers to conducting a set of in-vehicle activities while traveling. Travel-based multitasking has an indisputable influence on offering a pleasant travel experience to transit users during their rides, given that they can use their travel time to perform desirable activities and gain benefits in various form. For instance, the in-activities could help the rider free up time from his/her schedule for the day (i.e., a worthwhile use of travel time). In this study, we investigate how the worthwhileness of a travel-based multitasking could be under the influence of: (1) the transit user’s lifestyle, and (2) socio-demographics, and (3) the characteristics of the transit trip. Towards this, we conducted an intercept survey focusing on the transit trips in the Chicago metropolitan area and analyzed it using latent class modeling approach. Per the results, two classes of transit users could be identified: (1) worthwhileness seekers, productively travelers and (2) leisure seekers, occasional worthwhile travelers. The results also suggest travel time, waiting time and walking distance to the transit station, and the set of in-vehicle activities as significant predictors of worthwhile use of travel time. The findings provide insights to policymakers for improving public transit systems in the current form, as well as designing an autonomous mobility system as the future form of public transit.

Rights

Permission to publish the abstract has been given by Elsevier, copyright remains with them.

Comments

Transportation Research Part A Home Page:

http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/journal/09658564

Recommended Citation

Shamshiripour, A., Rahimi, E., Mohammadian, A., & Auld, J. (2020). Investigating the influence of latent lifestyles on productive travels: Insights into designing autonomous transit system. Transportation Research Part A: Policy and Practice, Vol. 141, pp. 469-484.