Travel perception and mode choice: a descriptive and exploratory factor analysis of a pilot survey addressed to students of UFRRJ (Universidade Federal Rural do Rio de Janeiro)

Abstract

Universities generate a significant volume of daily commuting, in addition to being a favorable environment for development of new habits and behavior, as result of the influence among those who attend them. This study addressed a survey, based on Theory of Planned Behavior and Theory of Human Motivation, to UFRRJ students in order to identify the factors taken into account in travel decisions and to collect their perceptions about the transportation system in metropolitan region of Rio de Janeiro. The results were achieved by exploratory factor analysis and interviews. The findings corroborate the already consolidated application of Theory of Planned Behavior on travel research and confirmed the existence of a hierarchy of transport needs suggested by the Theory of Human Motivation, which denotes its potential as a tool for transport policies design. The study also revealed the importance given by students to travel time over other needs, the strong influence of the safety attributes on decisions and a high awareness of the social and inclusive role of transport.