Use of Mixed Stated and Revealed Preference Data for Crowding Valuation on Public Transport in Santiago, Chile

Abstract

The valuation of comfort on public transport is presented with mixed stated preference and revealed preference data. In this case, comfort is measured mainly as the level of crowding in the vehicles (bus or train) with the use of in-vehicle passenger density (in number of passengers per square meter). The data used to value comfort include a stated preference survey in which crowding levels are presented as illustrations and revealed preference data on route choice on the subway network of Santiago, Chile. The survey data are used to estimate discrete choice models and obtain a subjective valuation of passenger density through the parameters of the utility function. Disutility for traveling in crowding conditions is assumed to be proportional to the travel time; therefore, the longer the trip, the higher the utility loss. Results indicate that passenger density has a significant effect on the utility of public transportation modes. In fact, marginal disutility of travel time in a crowded vehicle (6 passengers/m2) is twice the marginal disutility in a vehicle with a low level of crowding (1 passenger/m2).