Mode Choice Modeling for Educational Trips in a Medium-Sized City: Case Study of Abbottabad City, Pakistan

The lack of transportation planning in cities of developing countries is causing significant problems due to rapid urbanization and exponential population growth. For transportation planning and policy-making, mode choice model is an essential element. There is a notable difference between the travel behaviors of children and adults, but the mode choice for school-going children trips remains unacknowledged. This study aims to develop a model for educational trips in Abbottabad city, Pakistan, and identify the significant factors influencing the mode choice of educational trips. Using Slovin’s sampling method, 370 samples were collected, from which 310 were used for model calibration and 60 samples for validation purposes. The multinomial logit model was developed in SPSS. The analysis shows that gender, age, household income, total travel time, cost, and distance are the influential factors that affect students’ mode choice. It was also found that travel time by school bus and public transport significantly affected mode choice. Urban and transport planners can use this study for developing transportation policies for addressing the issues faced by students.