Model for Person and Household Mobility Attributes

Abstract

Individual mobility attributes have a strong impact on travel choices. In most applied models the only individual mobility attribute addressed is household car ownership. The new generation of activity-based models will be significantly expanded to include a wider range of mobility attributes, such as possession of a driver's license, employer-provided transportation for commuting, car available from work or business, employer-provided or subsidized parking, and transit pass holding. The paper outlines a general framework for inclusion of individual mobility attributes in travel models and statistically explores two of them–-household car ownership and person transit pass holding–-on the basis of the London Area Travel Survey conducted in 2001. A joint choice model for both mobility attributes is estimated, and the corresponding behavioral insights are discussed. Among the key findings, a strong interdependence between mobility attributes such as car ownership, transit pass holding, and employer-provided transportation benefits can be mentioned. The paper also discusses the practical benefits of including mobility attributes in travel models for testing different policy scenarios.