Commuter Survey Research Articles

Ridesharing as a Potential Sustainable Transportation Alternative in Suburban Universities: The Case of Najran University, Saudi Arabia

In Saudi Arabia, car ownership rates are considered comparatively high due to the lack of other alternatives, cheap fuel and car registration costs, and higher income. The population relies mainly on automobiles for their daily trips and primarily commutes alone, contributing to many negative consequences. Therefore, ridesharing is a transportation mode that is a suitable approach in such an area, since it can increase the occupancy rates and reduce single-occupant driving, which in turn can cut vehicle emissions, contribute to a reduction in vehicle ownership and vehicle miles traveled, alleviate traffic congestions and accidents, and decrease the need for parking spaces. Suburban universities are considered major trip generators and attractors. They also can offer a niche market for ridesharing programs. Thus, data was obtained from a survey performed at Najran University to investigate the ridesharing behavior among the university population. Following a descriptive analysis of the commuter survey data, a binary logistic regression model was adopted to investigate the interest in ridesharing. The estimation results show being female and non-Saudi, as well as being students and faculty members in general (versus staff), along with the presence of fixed (regular) work or class schedules, increase the likelihood of ridesharing. Since the probability of most of the university population (i.e., students and faculty members) toward ridesharing is high, the number of automobiles needed by commuters will be reduced, resulting in a higher transition to environmentally sustainable urban mobility. In addition, the university has many motivators that can positively affect the propensity to rideshare, such as the lack of public transportation, fixed schedules, a longer distance to campus, and a similar social background among attendees; therefore, universities or other large employers can take these motivators into account when planning ridesharing services.

Determinants of Accident Status on Student Commuters of Jabodetabek in 2019

Traffic accidents among students are one of the problems experienced in the Greater Jakarta area. World Health Organization (WHO) stated that younger drivers are the most vulnerable group to experiencing traffic accidents, including the students. According to Badan Pusat Statistik (BPS), it was estimated that as many as 301,120 Jabodetabek commuters had experienced a traffic accident in 2019. Moreover, 13 to 14 out of the 100 commuters who had experienced traffic accidents are student commuters or commuters with the main activities going to school. Therefore, this study was conducted to determine the factors that affect the accident status of Jabodetabek student commuters in 2019 and their odds ratios by using the 2019 Jabodetabek Commuter Survey data. The analytical method used is a binary logistic regression with the parameter estimation method using penalized maximum likelihood estimation (PMLE). And the results showed that the variables of age, gender, last education, mode of transportation, classification of the area of residence, distance traveled, and the area of the activity had a significant influence on the accident status of Jabodetabek student commuters. Furthermore, student commuters who live in rural areas have the highest tendency to experience a traffic accident.

A carbon footprint study of the Canadian medical residency interview tour

Background Each spring, thousands of Canadian medical students travel across the country to interview for residency positions, a process known as the CaRMS tour. Despite the large scale of travel, the CaRMS tour has received little environmental scrutiny. Purpose To estimate the national carbon footprint of flights associated with the CaRMS tour, as well as reductions in emissions achievable by transitioning to alternative models. Methods We developed a three-question online commuter survey to collect the unique travel itineraries of applicants in the 2020 CaRMS tour. We calculated the emissions associated with all flights and modelled expected emissions for two alternative in-person interview models, and two virtual interview models. Results We collected 960 responses out of 2943 applicants across all 17 Canadian medical schools. We calculated the carbon footprint of flights for the 2020 CaRMS as 4239 tCO2e (tonnes of carbon dioxide equivalents), averaging 1.44 tCO2e per applicant. The average applicant’s tour emissions represent 35.1% of the average Canadian’s annual household carbon footprint, and the emissions of 26.7% of respondents exceeded their entire annual ‘2050 carbon budget.’ Centralized in-person interviews could reduce emissions by 13.7% to 74.7%, and virtual interviews by at least 98.4% to 99.9%. Conclusions Mandatory in-person residency interviews in Canada contribute significant emissions and reflect a culture of emissions-intensive practices. Considerable decarbonization of the CaRMS tour is possible, and transitioning to virtual interviews could eliminate the footprint almost entirely.

Measures of Commuting and Local Transport Demand in Germany: A Case Study for Eighty-Nine Municipalities

The way the spatial distribution of residential and commercial land use and the ensuing commuting patterns influence regional transport demand has been the subject of numerous studies. The motivation of this study is to ascertain which measures of regional commuting can serve as indicators for other transport-related parameters. It uses publicly available German commuter, road network, and mobility survey data for eighty-nine municipalities in Germany. The analysis of commuting efficiency for the eighty-nine study areas required reversing the aggregation of relational volumes due to data protection issues. It revealed the study area delineation as a major factor influencing measures of commuting efficiency. In total, sixteen commuting measures and twelve mobility survey parameters were subjected to simple linear regression analysis. The regression analysis yielded low coefficients of determination (R 2) for measures of commuting efficiency. Higher R 2 up to 0.60 were found for the commuting measure of residence-based self-containment with the number of cars per household as well as the number and total distance of motorized and unmotorized trips. These findings underline the responsibility of transport system design for the development of sustainable cities.

Commuting Patterns and Health Problems of Commuters in Regional Tourist Destination (Case Study in Denpasar Greater Area)

Commuting has become a global phenomenon in various metropolitan cities in the world, including Denpasar. Denpasar is the center of tourist destinations for Indonesian and foreign tourists. This condition makes Denpasar a business and economic center for residents in the surrounding area. Conditions have encouraged an increasing number of commuter workers in Denpasar from sub-urban areas. The people are facing several problems such as traffic, air, noise, thermal pollution, and long duration of commuting. This study aims to analyze the relationship between commuting patterns and health problems among workers in Denpasar metropolitan areas in Indonesia. This study analyzed by using secondary data of the Sarbagita (Denpasar, Badung, Gianyar, and Tabanan) Commuter Survey 2015 from CBS Indonesia. Sample study: commuter workers aged 15-65 years with inclusion criteria are commuters passive commuting with all types of transportation except bicycles/walking. The sampling method used two stages of cluster sampling. The final sample was 652 persons. Statistical analysis used binary logistic regression. The study shows that around one-third of commuters have commuting-related health problems. Health problems are more perceived by formal workers, low incomes, and low-educated. This study shows that distance and transportation mode had correlated with health problems (OR=1.71). Motorcycle and private car users have more health problems than public transportation (OR=2.49; OR=3.13). The impact of commuting for com-muter health can be minimized by providing public transportation that is fast, safe, comfortable, and inexpensive. Local government must encourage the use of public transportation for commuters through campaigns from a public health perspective.

Pola Interaksi Spasial serta Karakteristik Individu dan Rumah Tangga Komuter antar Kabupaten/Kota di Bandung Raya

Spatial Interaction Pattern and Characteristics of Individual and Household Commuters between Regencies/Cities in Greater Bandung
 Differences in regional development in Greater Bandung caused spatial interaction in order to meet the shortcomings in origin areas. One of the form spatial interaction is commuting. This study aimed to analyze the pattern of spatial interaction between regencies/cities in Greater Bandung and determine individual and household commuter characteristics. Variables used to analyze the pattern of spatial interactions were number of commuters, distances, regional development index, built up area ratio, and population density of regency/city units in Greater Bandung. Method used were Entropy Index and Augmented Doubly Constrained Entropy Model. Variables used to determine individual and household commuter characteristics were age, marital status, highest education completed, number of household members, monthly household expenditure, and the main reason for choosing settlement location. Data were originated from 2017 Greater Bandung Commuter Survey held by Statistics Indonesia (BPS), which consists of 15,082 individuals and 4,531 households. The method used was correspondence analysis. Analysis results shows that Bandung Regency, Sumedang Regency, and Bandung City had positive effects on spatial interactions in Greater Bandung. Commuters in Greater Bandung mostly come from regency areas with productive age, low education level, big number of household members, have low and high economic level, live in regency area because of affordable house price and closeness to family. Meanwhile, commuters in Greater Bandung mostly move toward city areas have young and productive age, high education level, have low and high economic level, and variety number of household members.

Determinants of Labor Market in Jakarta Metropolitan Area: A Survival Analysis of Commuters

This study aims to assess the determinants of the labor market in the Greater Jakarta Area (Jabodetabek) with a population of 27.9 million (2010 census) and growth rate of 3.6 percent per annum over the period 2000-2010. With a total area of 4,384 square kilometers (1,693 sq mi), the city has a very high population density of 14,464 people per square kilometer (37,460/ sq mi), while the metro area has a density of 4,383 people/sq km (11,353/sq mi). The paper employs the survival regression analysis by incorporating attributes of commuter, namely gender, age, distance, travel time, wages, stress, education level, double income households and home ownership. The area consists of Jakarta as the receiving labor market and eight municipalities and regencies as labor suppliers. The study utilizes a cross-section data from a commuter survey with more than 4,000 respondents participated using different modes of land transport. The results reveal that some determinants have influenced commuters' resiliency and their willingness to participate in the receiving labor market. This study found that gender, distance, wages and home ownership do not affect the respondent’s decision whether to stay or quit as commuters. On the other hand, the fittest model exhibits that age, education level, stress, travel time and double income households have significant effects on individual's decision to stay or quit as a commuter. It is found that gender, distance, wages and home ownership do not matter for respondent’s decision on whether to stay or to quit as commuters. The model exhibits that age, education level, stress, travel time and double-income household have significant effects on an individual's decision to stay or quit as a commuter. Education level has a positive effect; on the other hand, age, stress, double-income household and travel time have a negative effect. The policy implications for improving the labor supply provision and some contested policy options are suggested, such as the provision of affordable housing in Jakarta, the improvement of commuting enjoyment, the establishment of child care facilities in the office buildings and the creation of more sophisticated jobs within the Jakarta’s surrounding municipalities and regencies.

THE MODE CHOICES AND COMMUTING STRESS: EMPIRICAL EVIDENCE FROM JAKARTA AND DENPASAR

Jabodetabek and Sarbagita have the highest worker commuter population in Indonesia. However, Jabodetabek has various and larger coverage of public transport than Sarbagita. This study also analyzes the relationship between the usage of specific transport modes and commuting stress. Multiple logistic regression models have been estimated using data of both Jabodetabek Commuter Survey and Sarbagita Commuter Survey. Using logistic regressions, the results show that mode choices, gender, and travel time have a significant effect on commuting stress. The analysis also indicates that both in high impedance and low impedance metropolitans, car commuting is perceived to be more stressful than non-car commuting. In a condition of restricted mode choices, commuters who use cars have a greater probability of commuting stress. Furthermore, the findings of this study imply limitation of car usage and as an evaluation of the policy of opening toll roads as a solution to urban congestion.

DETERMINAN PEMILIHAN MODA TRANSPORTASI PEKERJA KOMUTER JABODEBATEK DENGAN MODEL REGRESI LOGISTIK MULTINOMIAL MULTILEVEL

The BPS noted that commuters in Jabodetabek had increased by 400 thousand people from 2001 to 2014. The BPS also recorded that around 81,3% of the commuters in Jabodetabek were workers. A growing number of commuter workers in Jabodetabek makes transportation is very important to support the connection of suburban area and workplace in Jakarta. The result showed that 73% of the commuter workers used private transportation, 19% used ground public transportation and the rest of commuter workers used train. This research use Jabodetabek Commuter Survey 2014 as the main source data to shed light on how socioeconomic factors and spatial attributes affect the selection of a primary mode of transportation for commuter workers. Using multilevel multinomial logistic regression, the result confirm that the age, sex, marital status, ownership of vehicle, travel distance and time have a significant effect in explaining train choice. Furthermore, the result also showed that the age, sex, marital status, income, ownership of vehicle, travel distance and cost are found to be significant in explaining ground public transportation choice.

Exploring the Role of Online ‘Ojek’ In Public Transport Trips: Case of Jakarta Metropolitan Area Rail Users

The invention of information technology shapes people’s lives in the city, including the recent invention of online motorcycle taxi service. Known as ‘ojek’, it offers a reliable means of tactical commuting in dealing with traffic congestion in Greater Jakarta. Moreover, recent development in the online system improves the punctuality and reliability of ojek services. The emergence disrupts the transport landscape, resulting in commuters’ dependency to this transport mode. However, academic sources are insufficient to answer the policy debate among planners and policy maker regarding this issue. This paper probes the role of online ojek in Jakarta Metropolitan Area Rail users’ trip from their perspective, especially for the first mile and the last mile of their trip. The intensive commuter survey is currently being done at selected stations to gain information of their first mile and last mile trip diary. Discriminant analysis will be exercised to explain that to some extent online ojek is able to work to fill the gap produced due to minimum proper pedestrian facilities and a lack of public transport connection.

On time and ready to go: An analysis of commuters’ punctuality and energy levels at work or school

The strain of the daily commute can negatively impact performance at work. This study differentiates how various modes influence commuters’ punctuality and energy levels at work and school. The data for this study come from the 2013 McGill Commuter Survey, a university-wide survey in which students, staff and faculty described their typical commuting experience to McGill University, located in Montreal, Canada. Ten multilevel mixed-effects logistic regressions are used to determine the factors that impact (1) a commuter’s feeling of being energized when he or she arrives at work or school and (2) his or her punctuality. Our results show that weather conditions and mode of transportation have significant impacts on an individual’s energy at work and punctuality. The models indicate that drivers have the lowest odds of feeling energized and the highest odds of arriving late for work. Cyclists, meanwhile, have the highest odds of feeling energized and being punctual. Overall, this study provides evidence that satisfaction with travel mode is associated with higher odds of feeling energized and being punctual. With these findings in mind, policy makers should consider developing strategies that aim to increase the mode satisfaction of commuters. Encouraging the habit of commuting by bicycle may also lead to improved performance at work or school.

Performance analysis of an urban bus and metro route using commuter survey & traffic data

Performance analysis of an urban bus and metro route using commuter survey & traffic data

It’s a Matter of Time: Assessment of Additional Time Budgeted for Commuting to McGill University Across Modes

Commute travel time is not always reliable, and individuals often budget additional time to ensure that they arrive at their destination punctually. This additional time allotted for the commute needlessly reduces the amount of time that individuals could have spent performing other activities. This study investigates the amount of additional time commuters allocate to account for travel time unreliability and presents the results with a series of log-linear regression models. Data for this study originated from the 2013 McGill Commuter Survey, a universitywide survey in which students, staff, and faculty described their typical experience commuting to McGill University, located in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. Results reveal that drivers allocate the most extra time for their commute, whereas users of other modes (transit, bicycle, and pedestrian) budget about 29% to 66% less than drivers. The findings of this study also indicate that bus commuters add 14% more buffer time per bus taken, and train users budget 11% less time for every commuter train taken. These findings reveal an existing perception that the street network is unreliable (for either buses or cars). Hence, the city should consider implementing strategies such as exclusive bus lanes and variable cost congestion pricing schemes to reduce uncertainty in travel time and improve the reliability of the street network. Such strategies are expected to decrease the level of uncertainty related to commuting to work or school and accordingly reduce the amount of time lost because of additional time budgeted for uncertainty.

Ridesharing as a Green Commute Alternative: A Campus Case Study

This paper studies demand for ridesharing in a university campus context, where authorities are planning to introduce programs aimed at reducing carbon-intensive travel activity. Following a descriptive analysis of commuter survey data, ordered probit models are developed to investigate interest in ridesharing. The model results show that participation in the program ranges from those who are possibly interested in being drivers to those who wish to be passengers. To further investigate differences in commuters’ taste, latent class ordered probit models are developed; the introduction of individual heterogeneity improves model fit. Residential distance, parking cost, web application, matching preferences, and service flexibility are found to significantly affect propensity to rideshare. These effects should be taken into account by universities or other large employers when planning carpooling/vanpooling services.

Performance Evaluation of Multimodal Transportation Systems

Connectivity of more than one mode to a line haul in an urban area constitutes the multimodal transport system of the city. In this paper New Delhi has been taken up as a case study to evaluate performance of multimodal transportation system (MMTS), where metro became main mode in routine public transport trips. Public transport in Delhi carries only about 60% of total vehicular person trips as against 80% of the expected population size of the city. The present bus services, metro rail and IRBT (Integrated Rail-cum-Bus Transit), if implemented as planned together are estimated to carry about 15 million trips per day by 2021. Since, all the public transport trips are multimodal, it is necessary to evaluate the performance of multimodal transportation systems. The study is divided into two phases. In the first phase, the study of travel time elements (access time, transfer time, waiting time, line-haul time, and egress time) is done. Next, the influence of access and egress times on the total travel time is examined. Use is made of a comprehensive commuter travel diary to collect detail travel time estimates. A representative commuter survey, with 460 respondents, is drawn on platform at each station of Red Line and Yellow Line (Kashmiri Gate – Saket) Delhi Metro. Implementing the Second phase of study, performance measures such as Travel Time Ratio, Level of Service, Interconnectivity Ratio, Passenger Waiting Index, and Running Index were evaluated. Interconnectivity ratio (proportion of access and egress time w.r.t total travel time) for various combinations such as Mixed-Metro-Mixed, Walk-Metro-Walk, Walk-Metro-Bus and Walk- Bus-Walk has been observed. Travel Time (defined as the time differential between private transport and public transport) ratio shows much variation with trip direction, time of day, mode used, and distance travelled, etc.,. Level of Service Indicator (Out- of-vehicle Travel Time/In-Vehicle Travel Time) ratio inferred that people spends more time out-of-vehicle as compared to that of in-vehicle. Access time, transfer time, waiting time and egress time are the most important and complex travel time elements that transport systems should consider improving its efficiency and modal share. The results can be used in planning catchment area of public transport. Access and egress (together with waiting and transfer times) appear as factors that affect effectiveness and performance of a multimodal transportation system to a larger extent as unacceptable distances are likely to reduce ridership patronage. At the same time, there are key deciding factors when a trip originates as to whether the commuter shall choose public transit over personal mode of travel.

Relationship of Walk Access Distance to Rapid Rail Transit Stations with Personal Characteristics and Station Context

This paper explores the relationship of walk access distance to rapid rail transit (RRT) stations with personal characteristics and station context, specifically in regard to an operated RRT system in the city of Nanjing, China. Both descriptive analysis and regression analysis on the commuter survey are conducted to reveal the association. Descriptive analysis indicates that the walk access distance in the morning peak is longer than that in the afternoon peak. Young commuters walk farther to access to RRT stations than children and older people. The walk access distance decreases with increasing household income. Regression analysis, in particular, on the association between walk access distance and station context suggests that commuters walk farther to reach a terminal station but walk a shorter distance to arrive at a transfer station than to a typical station. The walk access distance to an elevated station is longer than that to an underground station, and an approximately 100-m distance premium does seem to exist. In addition, the radius of the pedestrian catchment area (PCA) of an underground RRT station is about 200–300 m longer than the PCA of bus rapid transit station. Implications of the present study include defining flexible rail transit station’s PCAs in estimating urban rail transit (URT) ridership at the station level, optimizing the house location and price premium analysis around URT stations, and identifying the opportunities for transit-oriented development in the PCA of rail stations.

Modelling commuting mode choice with explicit consideration of carpool in the choice set formation

This article investigates the carpool mode choice option in the context of overall commuting mode choice preferences. The article uses a hybrid discrete choice modelling technique to jointly model the consideration of carpooling in the choice set formation as well as commuting mode choice together with the response bias corrections through the accommodation of measurement equations. A cross-nested error structure for the econometric formulation is used to capture correlations among various commuting modes and carpool consideration in the choice set. Empirical models are estimated using a data set collected through a week-long commuter survey in Edmonton, Alberta. The empirical model reveals many behavioural details of commuting mode choice and carpooling. Interestingly, it reveals that interactions between various Travel Demand Management (TDM) tools with the carpooling option can be different at different level of decision making (choice set formation level and final choice making level).

Commuting mode choice in the context of travel demand management (TDM) policies: an empirical investigation in Edmonton, Alberta

Travel demand management (TDM) for achieving sustainability is now considered one of the most important aspects of transportation planning and operation. It is now a well known fact that excessive use of private car results inefficient travel behaviour. So, from the TDM perspective, it is of great importance to analyze travel behaviour for improving our understanding on how to influence people to reduce car use and choose more sustainable modes such as carpool, public transit, park & ride, walk, bike etc. This study attempts an in-depth analysis of commuting mode choice behaviour using a week-long commuter survey data set collected in the City of Edmonton. Using error correlated nested logit model for panel data, this study investigates sensitivities of various factors including some specific TDM policies such as flexible office hours, compressed work week etc. Results of the investigation provide profound understanding and guidelines for designing effective TDM policies.

Effects of Personal Factors on Bicycle Commuting in Developing Countries

This paper focuses on an analysis of personal factors that affected people's decisions to bicycle for commuting trips. Factors investigated included commuter demographic characteristics, perceived benefits, and trip distance. With samples collected in a commuter survey in Nanjing, China, the odds ratio statistics were developed to analyze the effect of each factor separately. Two latent variables that implied commuter socioeconomic status and perceived benefits were obtained by the factor analysis method. On the basis of the results of the factor analysis, a binomial logit model with the latent variable enriched was developed to describe how the factors influenced commuter choices. For comparison purposes, a binomial logit model without a latent variable was also developed. Both models offered some important insights into the effects of personal factors on bicycle commuting. The findings were (a) trip distance and perceived benefits had significant effects on bicycle usage; (b) socioeconomic status was negatively correlated with bicycle commuting; (c) gender and age had no significant effects on bicycle commuting; (d) commuters cared more about rapidity and convenience than safety and comfort; and (e) automobile availability for a trip was negatively correlated with bicycle commuting. These results have some policy implications for urban transportation planning.

The impact of stop-making and travel time reliability on commute mode choice

This paper uses revealed preference and stated preference data collected from a web-based commuter survey in Austin, Texas, to estimate a commute mode choice model. This model accommodates weekly and daily commute and midday stop-making behavior, as well as travel time reliability. A mixed logit framework is used in estimation. The results emphasize the effects of commute and midday stop-making on commute mode choice. The results also indicate that travel time reliability is an important variable in commute mode choice decisions. The paper applies the estimated model to predict the potential mode usage of a proposed commuter rail option as well as to examine the impact of highway tolls. More generally, the mode choice model can be used to examine a whole range of travel mode-related policy actions for the Austin metropolitan region.