Response to Travel Information: A Behavioural Review

Abstract

Innovation in information and communication technologies (ICTs) is providing us with a myriad of travel information sources. Knowledge on the influence of information on human travel behaviour (mainly route and mode choice) and their implications on network levels of service remains fragmented. We distinguish between experiential, descriptive, and prescriptive information sources. We draw on recently developed theoretical concepts in behavioural and cognitive sciences to examine the state of the knowledge on information and travel behaviour. Key theoretical concepts used to explore the relationship between information and travel behaviour include: reinforced learning; framing; risk and loss aversion; probability weighting; affect; anchoring and ambiguity aversion; and regret aversion. We review studies focusing on individual travel behaviour as well as network studies involving collective behaviours. While information seems to assist individual travellers in coping with uncertainty, the impacts relating to collective behaviour on networks remain unclear. Many open questions remain, yet research provides important insights and suggests that ICTs will enable the design of persuasive information systems that motivate cooperative and efficient use of the transportation network beyond what is possible today.