Factors Influencing Public Transport Passengers’ Pre-travel Information Seeking Behaviour: Advancing the Evidence Base

This paper seeks to explain factors influencing public transport passengers’ pre-travel information seeking behaviours in a British urban environment. Public transport traveller surveys were conducted to better understand the journey stages at which information was sought as well as the information sources used. A multivariate explanatory model of pre-travel information seeking behaviour was developed using binomial logistic regression. Explanatory factors considered include socio-demographics, trip context, frequency of public transport use, information sources used, and smartphone ownership and use. The findings suggest that travel behaviour (5+ trips weekly, and <1 trip weekly), socio-demographics (unemployment/unknown employment), trip context (journey planning stages, mode of transport), and preferred information sources (internet site, word-of-mouth, visits to travel shop/centre/library) were significant predictors of pre-travel information seeking behaviours among public transport users in Birmingham. While the final model found that bus users are significantly associated with use of internet sites as a source of pre-travel information, rail users rely significantly on a multiplicity of sources comprising internet sites, word-of-mouth, and visits to a travel shop/centre/library. The final model suggests that metro users tend not to seek pre-travel information. The odds of seeking pre-travel public transport information are 2.512 times greater for respondents who reported <1 trip per week as opposed to those who reported 5+ trips per week. These findings are relevant for passenger information strategies deployed by operators and authorities and can be used to caution against a “one size fits all" strategy for travel information service provision. Implications and suggestions for future research are discussed.

  • Supplemental Notes:
    • This paper was sponsored by TRB committee AP030 Standing Committee on Public Transportation Marketing and Fare Policy. Factors Influencing Public Transport Passengers’ Pretravel Information-Seeking Behavior: Advancing the Evidence Base: This is an alternate title.
  • Authors:
    • Yeboah, Godwin
    • Cottrill, Caitlin D
    • Nelson, John D
    • Corsar, David
    • Markovic, Milan
    • Edwards, Peter
  • Conference:
  • Date: 2018

Language

  • English

Media Info

  • Media Type: Digital/other
  • Features: Figures; References; Tables;
  • Pagination: 17p

Subject/Index Terms

Filing Info

  • Accession Number: 01658678
  • Record Type: Publication
  • Report/Paper Numbers: 18-02956
  • Files: TRIS, TRB, ATRI
  • Created Date: Jan 31 2018 4:59PM