Multimodal travel and the poor: evidence from the 2009 National Household Travel Survey

Most travel behavior studies focus on discrete mode-choice outcomes. They predict the likelihood of traveling by a single mode (e.g. solo driving, carpooling, taking public transit, walking, and biking). Yet qualitative studies focusing on low-income households suggest that their mode choice does not fit neatly into a single category; they regularly “transportation package,” use multiple modes of travel in a single day. The authors use data from the 2009 National Household Travel Summary to examine the extent to which individuals’ engage in multimodal travel and to determine whether low-income individuals transportation package more than higher-income individuals, controlling for other factors. The authors find that multimodal travel is less – not more – prevalent among low-income adults than higher-income adults. However, there are important differences in the number and mix of modes that appear to be influenced by income. Moreover, low-income multimodal travelers took far more trips than even higher-income unimodal travelers. This finding suggests that providing viable avenues for multimodal travel may enhance low-income individuals’ mobility, particularly if they face barriers to automobile access.

• Record URL:
  • https://doi.org/10.1179/1942787513Y.0000000009
• Record URL:
  • http://www.maneyonline.com/doi/abs/10.1179/1942787513Y.0000000009
• Availability:
  • Find a library where document is available. Order URL: http://worldcat.org/issn/19427867
• Authors:
  • Blumenberg, Evelyn
  • Pierce, Gregory
• Publication Date: 2014-1

Language

• English

Media Info

• Media Type: Print
• Features: Figures; References; Tables;
• Pagination: pp 36-45
• Serial:
  • Transportation Letters: The International Journal of Transportation Research
  • Volume: 6
  • Issue Number: 1
  • Publisher: Taylor & Francis
  • ISSN: 1942-7867
  • EISSN: 1942-7875
  • Serial URL: http://www.tandfonline.com/toc/ytrl20/current

Subject/Index Terms

• TRT Terms: Low income groups; Mode choice; Multimodal transportation; Travel behavior
• Identifier Terms: National Household Travel Survey
• Uncontrolled Terms: Transportation packages
• Subject Areas: Highways; Pedestrians and Bicyclists; Planning and Forecasting; Public Transportation; I72: Traffic and Transport Planning;

Filing Info

• Accession Number: 01519806
• Record Type: Publication
• Files: TRIS
• Created Date: Mar 26 2014 10:11AM