Students’ commuting habits to the university: Transportation choices during the Covid-19 era

Abstract

This paper seeks to analyse the drivers behind students’ commuting choice in the context of a medium-sized public university (University of Urbino Carlo Bo) in Italy. The study accounts for changes in commuting preferences and choices occurring during the Covid-19 pandemic. The results are based on a 2020 survey on students analysed by means of a mixed multinomial logit model and a latent class model. The University of Urbino is an interesting case study for several reasons. First, it has a higher number of enrolled students (approximately 15,000) than there are residents in the municipality (less than 15,000). Second, Urbino is located far from main roads and transport infrastructures. Third, there are commuting options to and from the city, meaning that local transport policies have a relevant impact on the entire territory. Personal characteristics, distance from home, and price of the transportation mode influence the choice of students. The estimates for the two post-Covid-19 scenarios showed no particular changes in students’ transport habits, except when the number of household members was taken into account. The study provides valuable insights into the attitudes towards change in transportation choices that have recently emerged among a specific student population after an extended lockdown, that is now faced with making decisions marked by evident uncertainty about the possible developments of the Covid-19 virus.