Changes in Traveler Stated Preference for Bus and Car Modes Due to Real-Time Schedule Information: A Conjoint Analysis

This paper reports a conjoint analysis that explored potential impact of real-time transit schedule information on mode preference. Conjoint analysis is a stated-preference approach to choice modeling in which respondents are asked to rate hypothetical products or services described by a single level of each of a number of attributes. Respondent ratings are decomposed into "part-worths" describing preferences for each attribute level. Subjects for the study were 500 randomly-sampled employees on the University of Michigan Medical Campus. The conjoint data indicate potential significance of real-time transit schedule information for circumstances under which modal choice decisions are made on a day-to-day basis. Stated mode preferences is not, however, significantly affected by availability of such information when decisions are made on a month-by-month basis. These results should further motivate transit system designers to provide such information, with particular attention paid to developing a highly accessible method of information dissemination.