Exploring Latent and Manifest Effects on Micromobility Mode Choice

Shared modes of micromobility play an increasingly important role in urban transportation. Although mode choices on bike-sharing systems (BSS), shared electric scooters (ES) and short-distance public transit (PT) have been examined in recent years, there is a lack of joint analyses, especially considering latent choice influences such as environmental consciousness. To address this gap in knowledge, we estimate a hybrid choice model (HCM) with a nested mixed multinomial logit choice component for the mode choice between BSS, ES, and PT that fits the data with an adjusted rho-squared value of 0.45 and results in plausible parameter estimates. As a result of our joint consideration of BSS, ES, and PT, we find that respondents with a higher environmental consciousness are more likely to use BSS and PT than ES, even though all three modes are often considered as being used by travelers with a high environmental awareness. Additionally, we find that mode choice is nested in sheltered and unsheltered modes with PT in the sheltered nest and BSS and ES in the unsheltered nest. Furthermore, we find that smartphone or bag holders may not increase the utility for BSS and ES and that the remaining ES battery capacity does not appear to have a large effect on ES choice.