Mode Choice Behavior of Elderly Travelers in Honolulu, Hawaii

Document Type

Journal Article

Publication Date

2007

Subject Area

planning - surveys, ridership - mode choice, ridership - old people, mode - mass transit, mode - pedestrian, literature review - literature review

Keywords

Walking, Travel behavior, Transit, Senior citizens, Public transit, Older people, Old people, Multinomial logits, Mode choice, Modal choice, Mass transit, Local transit, Literature surveys, Literature reviews, Honolulu (Hawaii), Elderly persons, Choice of transportation, Choice models, Automobile use, Automobile usage, Automobile travel, Automobile driving, Aged

Abstract

A literature review of studies that focused on the travel behavior of older people suggested that the following factors affected travel behavior: age, gender, medical condition, ability to drive, cost of a trip, residential location (suburb versus city), trip purpose, day of the week, time of day, income, and availability of a private vehicle. This study estimated two discrete-choice multinomial logit models of mode choice by using data from a household interview survey conducted by the Oahu Metropolitan Planning Organization, Hawaii. In addition to traveler and trip attributes, the models included certain travel time and cost variables. The estimation data contained data for trips made by both elderly and nonelderly people. These models suggest that being elderly, retired, or both, has a negative effect on driving, being a passenger, and walking, as compared with taking transit. Use of the estimated models to perform sensitivity analyses also is illustrated. This analysis helped to visualize the finding that being elderly and the costs of driving and out-of-vehicle transit are more important determinants of shifts away from driving and toward the use of transit than travel time changes.

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