Commuter value perceptions in peak avoidance behavior: An empirical study in the Beijing subway system

Yu Wang, Yacan Wang, Dick Ettema, Zidan Mao, Samuel G. Charlton, Huiyu Zhou*

*Corresponding author for this work

Research output: Contribution to journalArticleAcademicpeer-review

Abstract

Peak-avoidance has been suggested as a strategy to ease congestion and improve the travel experience in the road traffic system. However, commuters’ trade-offs when choosing whether to avoid the peak in the context of subway use have not yet been explored. In highly concentrated megacities, high demand during peak hours in the subway leads to long queues waiting to enter stations or platforms, as well as crowded trains, which yields highly negative externalities. This paper contextualizes and incorporates commuters’ perceived value as a theoretical basis to explain how perceived benefits and perceived sacrifices affect commuters’ intentions to avoid the peak in subway systems. A hybrid model was constructed to incorporate the perceived benefits and perceived sacrifices as latent variables to understand peak-avoidance behavior. Social norms, previous habits, and personal subjective feelings have significant impacts on subway commuters’ peak-avoidance decisions. In addition, our combined model improved the explanatory power compared to a traditional ordered logit model. The framework can be used as a theoretical basis for further development of behavioral research into commuters’ decision-making. Finally, these findings provide meaningful guidance for the government and subway companies to encourage travelers to avoid rush hours effectively.

Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)70-84
Number of pages15
JournalTransportation Research Part A: Policy and Practice
Volume139
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - Sept 2020

Bibliographical note

Funding Information:
This study is supported by the joint project of the National Natural Science Foundation of China and the Joint Programming Initiative Urban Europe (NSFC – JPI UE), China part [grant number ‘U-PASS’ 71961137005 ], a major project of the Social Science Foundation of Beijing [grant number 16JDYJA008 ], the National Natural Science Foundation of China, China [grant number 61602028 ] and the Fundamental Research Funds for the Central Universities, China [grant number 2018JBWB003 ]. Finally, we would like to express our gratitude to the editor in chief and three reviewers for their constructive and professional comments.

Publisher Copyright:
© 2020 Elsevier Ltd

Funding

This study is supported by the joint project of the National Natural Science Foundation of China and the Joint Programming Initiative Urban Europe (NSFC – JPI UE), China part [grant number ‘U-PASS’ 71961137005 ], a major project of the Social Science Foundation of Beijing [grant number 16JDYJA008 ], the National Natural Science Foundation of China, China [grant number 61602028 ] and the Fundamental Research Funds for the Central Universities, China [grant number 2018JBWB003 ]. Finally, we would like to express our gratitude to the editor in chief and three reviewers for their constructive and professional comments.

Keywords

  • Beijing subway
  • Peak-avoidance
  • Perceived value

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