Evaluating the effects of social capital on travel behavior: Modeling the choice of an innovative transport mode

Abstract

This paper aims to evaluate the effects of social capital on the willingness to use a new cable car service in Bogotá (Colombia) that connects the Bus Rapid Transit system with a vulnerable zone with low accessibility. We estimated a hybrid discrete choice model for the new cable car service considering social capital as a latent variable and a stated preference survey issued before the cable car implementation. Social capital is measured through six domains associated with membership of civic groups, social networks, interpersonal trust, institutional trust, cooperation, and empowerment. Results suggest that the social capital stock in the influence zone of the cable car depends principally on age, sex, education level, and time living in the neighborhood. Results also show that higher social capital stocks are associated with a greater willingness to use the new cable car service, suggesting that social capital is a potential determinant for mode choice. Finally, we discuss implications for social capital and policymaking.