Stated Preference Survey Research Articles

How has COVID-19 impacted customer perceptions and demand for delivery services: An exploratory analysis

The novel coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic created an environment where nearly all aspects of mobility changed to ensure the health and safety of the public. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recommended that people quarantine for 14 days if they were potentially exposed to the virus, stay at least six feet apart from others, and stay at home as much as possible. Delivery via third-party restaurant app, grocery, and package delivery quickly became an essential service. This study assesses customer's changes in use and perceived quality of delivery services in Southwest Virginia, via an online stated-preference survey (n = 423). The responses were analyzed using ordered logit and generalized ordered logit models to identify which population segments had changing delivery behavior and perceptions due to the pandemic. Findings include that before the pandemic, only households with an income greater than $100,000 had a significantly higher demand for package delivery services than those making less than $25,000. During the pandemic, all income brackets had a significantly higher demand for package delivery “weekly” than households with less than a $25,000 income, with a 19.50%, 22.54%, and 45.59% greater chance of use for income levels $25,000 to $50,000, $50,000 to $100,000, and over $100,000, respectively. This trend highlights that package delivery became necessary during the pandemic. Respondents who lived within town limits were statistically significantly more likely to use third-party restaurant delivery apps at least once a week before (3.10%), during (9.20%), and after (4.50%) the pandemic compared to those outside town limits. The results also found people who lived within town limits were 7.77% more likely to be satisfied with delivery services in general than those who lived outside town limits. The findings from this paper identify expanding delivery equity gaps within the population and provide recommendations for policymakers and delivery agencies. Some limitations include that low sample size did not allow for fully segmented models and meant that the study should be considered exploratory in nature.

What is the market potential for on-demand services as a train station access mode?

On-demand mobility services (FLEX) are often proposed as a solution for the first/last mile problem. We study the potential of using FLEX to improve train station access by means of a three-step sequential stated preference survey. We compare FLEX with the bicycle, car and public transport for accessing two alternative train stations. We estimate a joint access mode and train station choice model. Estimating a latent class choice model with different nesting structures, we uncover four distinct segments in the population. Two segments (∼50%) with a lower Willingness-to-Pay seem to be more likely to take-up FLEX. Ex-urban car drivers seem to be the most likely segment to adopt FLEX, showing great, since members of this segment are currently frequent users of the private car. Our case study also shows that while FLEX competes primarily with public transport when accessing local stations, it competes primarily with car for reaching distant stations.

Preliminary technical and economic analysis of a hyperloop line: case study from Italy

The future of mobility and transportation infrastructures has been heavily questioned during the last years. Today we are looking at how the mobility of people and goods will evolve in the coming years. With reference to this topic, Hyperloop has been at the core of the debate. Scientists and engineers believe that this technology is a great opportunity for the modern society. Nonetheless, it still presents several unsolved issues. The purpose of this work is to propose a methodology to perform technical and economic pre-feasibility studies related to the hyperloop system, with specific focus on transport demand analysis, transport sizing of the infrastructure and cost analysis of CAPEX - CAPital EXpenditure and OPEX - OPerating EXpense. For the evaluation of the potential demand, the paper refers to the Multinomial Logit model, calibrated through SP – Stated Preferences surveys. Once the Logit model has been calibrated, it is possible to envisage different scenarios, such as maximum transport demand or maximum revenue, which will be used for the subsequent design of the transport system. As far as the sizing is concerned, some technical parameters of the project are required, such as: length of the route, maximum speed, and acceleration. The combination of the scenarios defined through the calibration of the Logit model and the project parameters, allows to define several scenarios representing the potential performances of the analyzed system. Given the possible performances of the transport service, an analysis of costs and potential revenues that determines the most efficient solution can be carried out. In addition, parametric values per km can be used to define CAPEX and OPEX. The methodology illustrated above, has been applied to a case study in Italy of the Rome-Milan OD (Origin – Destination), as it is one of the national routes with the highest volume of traffic and the largest number of modal choices.

How young pedestrians perceive walkways: gender differences

Promotion of active mobility is a strategy to discourage motorized mobility and solve problems linked to environment protection. Particularly, walking could be considered as an alternative to short trips made by car in more densely inhabited areas. For promoting pedestrian mobility, the quality levels of pedestrian paths should be increased. At this regard, collecting pedestrians’ perceptions about the path characteristics is fundamental. In this paper, perceptions are collected in terms of Stated Preferences (SP) by detecting the choices pedestrians would make in hypothetical scenarios characterized by certain service quality levels. More specifically, this work aims to analyze pedestrian preferences by highlighting gender differences through discrete choice modelling. An SP survey was addressed to a sample of 240 Italian university students, and mixed logit models were calibrated. The results highlight how women and men perceive differently some walkway characteristics

E-hailing Utilisation Analysis in Kota Kinabalu City Centre

The prevalence of smartphones and the IoT in today's modern world is only expected to grow. Since its inception, the use of e-hailing apps—which allow users to order a car, taxi, limo, or other modes of transportation via a mobile device—has skyrocketed. Due in large part to the efforts of transportation network businesses, e-hailing services have become a significant driver of economic growth. Many people choose e-hailing services because they provide more privacy and convenience than public transportation. E-hailing services in Kota Kinabalu, Sabah, are analyzed in this study to determine the factors that affect how users see these services. This study's objective was to understand the e-hailing service in Kota Kinabalu, Sabah. The Stated Preference Survey (SPS) method was used in this study. In order to gather the necessary data, an online questionnaire was created and sent out to 300 participants. The data were analyzed using descriptive statistics and Spearman's Correlation. Price value and perceived safety when utilizing e-hailing services were shown to have significant correlations of rs=.161 (p≤0.05) and rs =.118 (p≤0.05), respectively. As a result, e-hailing businesses should advertise the affordability and security of their services.

Do Consumers Value Welfare and Environmental Attributes in Egg Production Similarly in Fresh Eggs and Prepared Meals?

Food items are increasingly chosen based on sustainability attributes as the public is becoming increasingly aware of the environmental and animal welfare impacts of production systems, in addition to the traditional consideration for nutrition. Although surveys have been used to investigate the demand for these attributes in unprocessed products, little information exists on how these attributes impact consumer preferences in the case of processed products or prepared meals. This study uses a stated preference survey to examine Quebec (Canada) consumers' preferences for eggs from four production systems with different impacts on animal welfare and on the environment. We compare the respondents' choices of fresh eggs and two prepared meals that contain eggs. Furthermore, we examine the shift in choices following information treatments on animal welfare, nutrition, or environmental impact attributes. Results indicate that respondents choose eggs from more sustainable production systems more frequently when included in prepared meals than in their unprocessed form. The provision of information led participants to update prior beliefs and revise their initial choices, especially for animal welfare attributes.

The Elderly Acceptance of Autonomous Vehicle Services in Beijing, China

China's population has been ageing fast at an accelerated pace since the 21st century, while the mobility and convenience of travel for the elderly were weakened by the limited transportation options. Autonomous vehicles, an emerging mode of transport, provide flexibility for the elderly, provided that the rapid and widespread this new mode of transportation can be accepted by the elderly population. This paper plans to gain insights from the attitudes of the Beijing elderly using autonomous vehicles, perceiving the importance of different types of services. The stated preference survey was conducted over 376 respondents from various generations, which examined their perception of autonomous vehicles after their retirement. An ordered logistics model used in this paper shows that people who use emerging transportation modes (e.g., car-sharing and ride-hailing) are more likely to use autonomous vehicle services. Accessing shopping activities and medical care is the two crucial purposes for the elderly autonomous vehicle users. Additionally, the clustering and correlation analysis indicate that people with a higher willingness to use autonomous vehicles are the earliest target users of these services. However, living with children and running errands in short distances by bicycle and walk, the elderly in the early generation hardly adopts autonomous vehicle services after their retirement.

The Role of Attitude, Travel-Related, and Socioeconomic Characteristics in Modal Shift to Shared Autonomous Vehicles with Ride Sharing

The integration of automation and shared mobility services would significantly affect transportation demand, especially mode choice. However, little is known about how attitudes, travel attributes, and demographic factors affect the modal shift to shared autonomous vehicles (SAVs). A stated preference survey was designed to determine the preferences of car and transit users in relation to a modal shift to SAVs. The binary logit models’ results revealed distinct behavior patterns and systematic heterogeneity among transit and private car users based on a representative sample of 607 individuals in 2021. The shifting behavior of both users is positively affected by attitudinal factors, including consumer innovativeness, perceived usefulness, sharing intention, and ecological awareness, while negatively affected by privacy concerns. In terms of travel-related attributes of SAVs, car users are eight times more sensitive to waiting times compared to transit users, who are three times more concerned with travel costs. Further, privacy concerns, the number of passengers sharing a trip, and the ratio of waiting time to travel time of SAVs were the major barriers to shifting the likelihood of car users’ behavior. In light of these findings, based on the likely effects of SAVs on shifting behavior, a number of practical implications are suggested for more effective policy making.

Towards a Reference Database for Pedestrian Destination Choice Model Development

The move towards publishing research data openly has led to the formation of reference databases in many fields. The benefits of such resources are numerous, particularly in the development of models. While these exist in research on other aspects of pedestrian behaviour, no reference database is available for modelling pedestrian destination choice, the process by which pedestrians choose where they wish to visit next. This work seeks to construct such a database from the literature. The resulting data obtained are described and potential ways in which they could be used to calibrate a simple pedestrian destination choice model are presented. It contains four datasets that include destination choices for hundreds of pedestrians in settings ranging from university campuses and music festivals to highly structured stated preference surveys. A case study using one of these datasets to calibrate a simple pedestrian destination choice model is provided. These efforts highlight some general issues from creating and using reference data openly. Discussing these issues will hopefully guide the development of reference data and accelerate the development of accurate pedestrian destination choice models that can be applied generally.

Value of travel time savings of autonomous vehicle commuters: a segmented valuation for local and inter-city travel

ABSTRACT In this study we aim to identify how the adoption of autonomous vehicles (AVs) affects the value of travel time savings (VOTTS) for commuting trips under different trip distance scenarios (local and inter-city travel). Using a stated preference survey administered to Korean commuters in 2019, two multinomial logit (MNL) mode choice models are developed. These models are stratified by trip length and include four alternatives: AV with a manual driving option (AVMD), AV with a self-driving option (AVSD), shared AV (SAV), and public transit (PT). The results show that the value of in-vehicle travel time savings for AVSD (on average, $7.61/hr) is lower than for the other two AV modes (AVMD = $10.26/hr, SAV = $13.67/hr). It suggests that travelers tend to pay less to reduce travel time while using a private hands-free mode because it allows travelers to use their travel time more productively and/or relieve stress for driving. In addition, changes in the VOTTS for each mode vary by trip length. As travel distance increases, VOTTS for shared modes (SAV and PT) tends to decrease. The value of in-vehicle travel time for SAV in the local travel scenario is the highest among the four modes but is considerably lower than that in the inter-city scenario. These differences suggest that travelers require a certain amount of time to fully use their in-vehicle time, highlighting the importance of trip length when determining the VOTTS. Interestingly, the VOTTS for PT is lower than three AV modes, implying that it might be too early to expect substantial reduction in the VOTTS for AVs due to potential risks of accidents, unfamiliarity with AVs, or immature technology of AVs. Highlights Likelihood of choosing autonomous vehicles is modelled based on trip length. Changes in value of travel time savings for each mode vary by trip length. Value of travel time savings for public transit is lower than autonomous vehicles. Self-driving vehicles have a low value of travel time savings than other modes. People need a certain amount of time to fully perform activities while traveling.

Joint Impacts of Pricing Strategies and Persuasive Information on Habitual Automobile Commuters’ Travel Mode Shift Responses

Persuasive information developed by smartphone applications is a potential tool that can be utilized in order to increase the effectiveness of the impact of pricing strategies on triggering sustainable travel mode choice behavior. In order to address the joint impacts of pricing strategies and persuasive information on habitual automobile commuters’ travel mode shift responses, a stated-preference survey was conducted in Beijing’s inner district, from which over 1000 responses were collected. Four separate multivariable multilevel logistic regression models were estimated for more and less habitual automobile commuters when subjected to congestion pricing and reward strategies. The model estimation results showed that the influence of persuasive information was more effective in promoting travel mode shifts among more habitual automobile commuters with regard to reward strategies compared to congestion pricing. The results also showed that the impact of sociodemographic characteristics, commuter travel characteristics, the amount of congestion pricing or monetary award, and types of persuasive information on travel mode shift decisions under these strategies were deemed to be significantly different between more and less habitual automobile commuters. These findings suggest that more effective reward strategies can be explored by providing personalized and differentiated travel feedback information (e.g., pollution emission information and physical activity information), particularly for less habitual automobile commuters. This study also provides some degree of insight regarding the question as to how to design future congestion pricing, i.e., with respect to formulating differentiated charge rates according to the travel characteristics of habitual automobile commuters, as well as in developing complementary persuasive information that focuses on addressing public acceptability and fairness rather than travel feedback information.

Exploring the Commuters’ Willingness-to-Pay and Its Influencing Factors for an Improved Public Bus Service in Dhaka City

Improved transportation services are a crucial component of urban growth, particularly in emerging cities like Dhaka. Ensuring an improved public bus service quality is a challenge for the city’s transport planners and policy makers. Nevertheless, this challenge can’t be met without the support of the residents of this city. This study intends to evaluate the commuters’ willingness to pay (WTP) for an improved and better public bus service quality in Dhaka city. It also attempts to explore the factors affecting the commuters’ WTP amounts. In order to accomplish the study’s goals, a stated preference survey was designed to enquire into the whys and wherefores of female passengers’ harassment on public buses and also to prefer some influential service quality features. WTP values of respondents were calibrated using binary and ordinal logistic models, and these models were developed using SPSS version 26. The results indicate that the majority of respondents were willing to pay more for better service facilities, and they point to security as the most important factor in determining how much extra fare commuters are willing to pay. The results also demonstrate that commuters’ WTP amounts are highly influenced by the respondents’ monthly income. Results from this study have important policy implications, such as protecting women’s safety on public transportation and taking commuters’ socio-demographic characteristics into account before enacting any legislation or increasing fares.

Use of GPS and self-reported data to evaluate daily trips and the impact of travel information

Daily trips in medium-sized cities are based more on habitual patterns, resulting sometimes in less optimal route choices. In this study, an attempt is made to investigate trips in a medium-sized city and evaluate them to explore the impact of travel information. To achieve that, a survey of two phases was performed. First, self-reported and GPS data of an examined group of 96 participants of the University of Thessaly, Volos, Greece was collected. The data was used to evaluate the daily trips in terms of travel time, cost, and environmental friendliness. Second, a stated preference survey was designed targeted at motorized vehicle users of the examined group. The survey investigated the extent that shared information on social media can be used to recommend a different route than the usual one or convince them to shift to a sustainable way of transportation.

Acceptance of Shared Autonomous Vehicles: A Literature Review of stated choice experiments

Automated mobility has always conveyed fantasies about its ability to meet future mobility challenges. If research is still debating the when, where and how of this mobility disruption, there seems to be a consensus on its advent. Meanwhile, the investigation of the demand for this mobility is of critical importance. Stated preference surveys are a common and powerful tool to foresee this demand. This paper tackles the question of the acceptance of shared autonomous vehicles (SAVs) by reviewing most significant published papers on travel demand surveys for SAVs. The paper updates and complements previous literature reviews.In contrast with previous research, this paper shows that the impact of various factors on the intention to use SAVs is still controversial. We identify most consensual and controversial effects and suggest future research tracks to address some the identified gaps.

Examining the barriers to electric truck adoption as a system: A Grey-DEMATEL approach

Although the electrification of trucks can offer overall operation cost reduction and contribute to the decarbonization of transport, electric vehicles in the commercial sector are not widely adopted. Existing studies explore the barriers to truck electrification using qualitative or descriptive analysis. This study proposes that the barriers to electric truck (ET) adoption should be further studied as a system and examines their ranking and interrelationships to enhance policy decision making. Based on a literature review and feedback from experts, ten barrier groups were identified. Data was obtained from a stated preference survey that was distributed online to 74 truck fleet managers/owners in the United States (U.S.). A multicriteria decision-making approach was used that combines the decision-making trial and evaluation laboratory method (DEMATEL) with grey system theory. Additionally, a subgroup analysis was conducted to explore potential differences for ET adopters and non-ET adopters. Among other findings, the results indicate that the business model and partnerships, product availability, and charging time constitute the top cause factors. Addressing these barriers would also lead to or help address the most prominent barriers regarding operational reliability, grid resiliency, and customer acceptance and expectations. The subgroup analysis showed that ET adopters and non-adopters may not be viewed as one homogenous group, since differences were found in the ranking and interrelationships of barriers to ET adoption between these two groups. This study improves the theoretical rational for the barriers and can assist policymakers or other major stakeholders to frame and prioritize strategies for accelerating ET adoption.

Exploring micromobility mode preferences for last-mile trips from subway stations

The micromobility mode of transportation is convenient for short-distance trips in urban settings. The popularity of dockless sharing systems is rapidly increasing because of their characteristics of convenient rental/return and mobile payment options. Although many previous studies have examined travel behaviors regarding a single means of micromobility transportation, few have analyzed mode choice behavior among multiple, similar, and competing means of micromobility transportation. To our knowledge, no researcher thus far has examined micromobility as a potential means to solve the last-mile problem from the subway station to the destination. Therefore, a stated preference survey was conducted, analyzing factors and preferences influencing the mode choice of subway users for the last-mile trip. This study considered sharing dockless e-scooters and docked bicycles, as well as walking. It analyzed the differences in mode choice behavior of subway users based on their demographic and socio-economic attributes, as well as travel (travel purpose and distance), mode-specific (fare), and environmental (slope) characteristics. Two logit-based models—the multinomial logit (MNL) and mixed logit (ML) models—and two ML models based on residential areas of Seoul and Gyeonggi, Korea, were developed and compared. The results showed that the ML model was superior to the MNL model regarding model fit and individual parameters. In the ML model, the statistically significant variables included fare, marital status, household size, age, income, disability, and slope of roadway. However, the significance differed by alternative modes: for e-scooters (vs. bicycles), the factors influencing last-mile mode choice behaviors showed greater statistical significance. A comparison of the two ML models by region highlighted major differences in the results for the variables of household size and trip purpose between residents of Seoul and Gyeonggi. Urban transport policymakers interested in introducing micromobility services can use the findings of this study to make more well-informed decisions about traffic congestion problems and increase public transportation revenue in an environmentally friendly manner.

What Motivates Electric Vehicle Purchase Intention in India: Results from a Stated Preference Survey

What Motivates Electric Vehicle Purchase Intention in India: Results from a Stated Preference Survey

Design of integrated passenger-freight transport: A multi-stakeholder perspective

Integrated passenger freight transport (IPFT) is a tactical solution that can potentially reduce travel demand and the costs of first- and last-mile services. Although the scientific interest in this topic increased in the last decade, IPFT contributions are still mostly related to the definition of a general framework. Conversely, the design of the service attributes and the evaluation of the operational performances have been object of less attention. To address such a research gap, this paper presents the results of a Delphi survey with international stakeholders. The aim is to verify the minimum requirements upon the introduction of the IPFT in both urban and rural contexts, including fare reductions for users, which are necessary to compensate for the differences as compared with passenger-only and freight-only services. The survey results indicate the necessity of an efficient service in terms of information, environmental performances, space division, and security (the last aspect refers more to passenger than to freight transport). Other attributes, such as cleanliness on board, are more debated. Policymakers and practitioners can use these findings as a benchmark for the definition of performance requirements and boundaries for designing the service. The suitability of the IPFT scheme in real-case contexts is then verified. New suburban and urban IPFT services are designed by modifying the characteristics of two existing urban and suburban bus lines that operate in the Italian provinces of Forlì-Cesena and Rimini according to both the results of the Delphi survey and the territorial specificities. The scheme’s suitability to the existing schedules is finally determined. As next steps, the new design has to be assessed through a) a stated preference survey submitted to potential users of the service; b) a supply model that verifies the matching of supply and demand under the new configuration, and c) an economic evaluation of the service, which considers the perspective of single actors.

Do cycling facilities matter during the COVID-19 outbreak? A stated preference survey of willingness to adopt bicycles in an Indonesian context

This study aims to evaluate to what level bicycles can replace motorized vehicles during the outbreak. The survey respondents were asked to choose between a bicycle and existing motorized vehicles for seven choice scenarios based on traffic congestion and bicycle infrastructure. This study integrated a multiple-indicator, multiple-cause (MIMIC) and a mixed logit model to examine the attitudes change caused by the outbreak and the social influences on the preference for bicycles. The results indicated that developing bicycle infrastructure encourages the adoption of bicycles, although most users tend to come from low-income and less-educated people. Based on the MIMIC model results, this study found significant differences in attitudes change and social influences across respondents’ socioeconomic characteristics, as male respondents were more likely to be easily influenced by their friends with respect to cycling than females. Attitudes change related to global warming and environmental consciousness also affected the preference for bicycles.

All Cancers Are not Created Equal: How Do Survival Prospects Affect the Willingness to Pay to Avoid Cancer?

AbstractRegulatory impact analyses of proposed environmental, occupational, and consumer product safety regulations often rely on a metric known as the Value per Statistical Case of Cancer (VSCC), that is, the public’s willingness to pay (WTP) for reductions in the risk of developing cancer. In this paper, we ask whether the VSCC depends on cancer survival prospects. We develop a simple theoretical model that shows that under standard assumptions the VSCC is decreasing in the chance of surviving cancer. We empirically test this prediction by means of a stated preference survey, where we ask subjects aged 45–60 from the general population in the Czech Republic to report information about their WTP for reductions in the risk of getting cancer. One half of the sample was told that, if they got cancer, the 5-year survival rate was 60 % (corresponding to the average survival chances across all types of cancer), while the other half was told that it was 75 %. Consistent with the theoretical model, we find that the VSCC is larger in the former group. The ratio between the VSCC of the two groups is approximately equal to the ratio between the conditional cancer mortality risks implied by the survey’s survival rates, suggesting that the VSCC is proportional to conditional cancer mortality. Our findings have important policy implications in the context of regulations that focus on pollutants linked to cancers with different chances of survival.