Travel Mode Choice Based on Latent Variable Enriched Discrete Choice Model

In order to explore the decision-making mechanic whether travelers choose ground transit or bicycle, the individual, household and travel attributes of travelers are investigated firstly. Especially, behavior questions are designed in the questionnaire in order to measure travelers' preferences. Then, latent variable enriched discrete choice model is developed to describe the decision-making on choosing transit or bicycle, searching for the factors influencing the decision-making. Meanwhile, the causality between unobservable preferences and observable attributes of travelers is studied. Estimation results prove that latent variables could express the preferences, besides, latent variable enriched model has advantages in providing insights into the unobservable factors in mode choice.