Modeling Work Trip Mode Choice in Post-Metro Bengaluru City

Traffic congestion and emissions are the acute problems faced by most cities in the country. The cause for these problems could be increased usage of personal vehicles and lesser popularity of public transport. The aggregate effect of individual mode choice decisions reflects in traffic congestion and emissions in the city. To study these problems, it is essential to know the mode choice and the factors affecting it. Commute trips like work and school trips contribute heavily to these typical urban transportation problems. In the present study, attempts have been made to study the mode choice of working commuters in Bengaluru City. To achieve this, a household survey is conducted. Multinomial logit models are used to analyze the mode choice behavior of these individuals. Findings from the model revealed that individual characteristics like age, vehicle ownership, level of service characteristics such as travel time and travel cost, and subjective factors like comfort, security, and station environment significantly affect mode choice. Using the model developed, a policy has been proposed to predict the effect of restricting ownership of the second car on mode choice, resulting in about 2% decrease in car shares, which could reduce traffic congestion and pollution in the city.