Individual and synergistic associations among transit allowance, land use, and transit commuting

Abstract

Few studies have examined the effects of transit allowance, both individually and in conjunction with the built environment, on people’s choice of transit for commuting in developing countries. Applying gradient boosting decision trees to the 2020 regional household travel data in Wuhan, this study sheds light on the issue. Among employment-based transportation allowance measures, built environment attributes, and demographics, transit allowance emerges as the most important predictor of transit commuting. Both distance to centers and distance to subway station make substantial contributions. The association between distance to subway station and transit commuting is further moderated by transit allowance. Moreover, fuel allowance is detrimental to transit commuting. These findings suggest that institutionalizing transit allowance and abolishing fuel allowance are promising to promote transit commuting. Moreover, urban redevelopment around centers, subway expansion, and subway station area development are conducive to transit commuting, particularly when combined with transit allowance.