Route choice behaviour with pre-trip travel time information

The purpose of this study is to evaluate the potential benefits from real-time travel-time information provision by gaining insights into and better understanding of the factors affecting the route-choice behaviour of drivers possessing real-time pre-trip information. Both a field study and an in-laboratory experiment were conducted to obtain revealed preferences (RP) and stated preferences (SP) on route choice. The data collected from both experiments are inputs for a combined RP–SP route-choice model. The model also includes attitudinal factors describing drivers' personal characteristics. The results show that when experience seeking increases, individuals tend to prefer a route characterised by lower average but greater variance of travel time. Other results confirmed past studies showing that information has an impact on route-choice behaviour although compliance with received information decreases with recent experience.