PERCEPTION OF TRAVEL COST BY AUTOMOBILE TO WORK EMPIRICAL STUDY IN THE SAN FRANCISCO BAY AREA

This study is an attempt to narrow the gap between objective and perceptual measures of travel costs. The paper is based on a telephone interview of working people in the San Francisco bay area, who reported their perception of automobile cost. Their reports were compared against objective measures used in the calibration of travel demand models. Prior to analysis of cost, distance and time estimates were examined. This was done to ensure that cost estimates were not distorted by an inaccurate perception of travel distance and time. In general, reports estimating travel distance and automobile travel time were highly accurate. Moreover, people even tended to overestimate them consistently. The accuracy of the reported costs, and their relation to objective measures, commonly used in transportation studies, is carried out in two ways: (1) comparison of point estimates (i.e. cents) of the total daily cost (or cost per mile) reported by the respondents with engineering based data, and (2) comparison of cost factors or items of expenditure that the respondent considered to include in his total daily cost estimate (i.e. fuel, parking, maintenance, etc.) with cost factors commonly used in transportation studies. For the covering abstract of the proceedings see IRRD no. 263704.

• Availability:
  • Find a library where document is available. Order URL: http://worldcat.org/isbn/0860500934
• Supplemental Notes:
  • Proceedings of Seminar L on Transport Economics held at University of Warwick, July 13-16, 1981.
• Corporate Authors:

  PTRC Education and Research Services Limited

  110 Strand
  London WC2,   England 
• Authors:
  • Adiv, A
• Conference:
  • Planning & Transport Res & Comp, Sum Ann Mtg, Proc
• Publication Date: 1981-7

Media Info

• Features: Figures; References; Tables;
• Pagination: p. 43-55
• Serial:
  • Issue Number: P211

Subject/Index Terms

• TRT Terms: Analysis; Automobiles; Conferences; Costs; Demand; Errors; Evaluation and assessment; Inspection; Length; Mathematical models; Mode choice; Motor vehicles; Operating costs; Ownership; Parking; Perception; Questionnaires; Travel demand; Travel time; Trip length; Work trips
• Uncontrolled Terms: Cost analysis
• Geographic Terms: San Francisco (California); United States
• ITRD Terms: 1243: Car; 8525: Conference; 224: Cost; 285: Demand (econ); 6440: Error; 9020: Evaluation (assessment); 9147: Interview; 697: Journey time; 621: Journey to work; 6488: Length; 6473: Mathematical model; 221: Operating costs; 955: Parking; 2229: Perception; 8122: USA; 1575: Vehicle inspection; 315: Vehicle ownership
• Subject Areas: Economics; Finance; Highways; Planning and Forecasting; Public Transportation; Safety and Human Factors; Society; I72: Traffic and Transport Planning;

Filing Info

• Accession Number: 00369090
• Record Type: Publication
• Source Agency: Transport Research Laboratory
• ISBN: 086050 093 4
• Files: ITRD, TRIS
• Created Date: Feb 28 1983 12:00AM