Determining Variables for Transport Mode Choice

An Integrated and Descriptive Analysis in the São Paulo Metropolitan Area, Brazil

Abstract

Strategies to promote sustainable means of transportation can emerge from the understanding of how people choose travel modes. Studies about it are focused on developed countries, where people have more alternatives to commuting. Using an origin-destination survey database, this study investigated how access and egress distances, car ownership, household income, and travel distance influence people from São Paulo Metropolitan Area on their choice between railway transportation, bus, and car. 81% of the trips performed by railway transportation have the origin and the destination close to a station. Car ownership increases car choice, but it also depends on household income. Finally, cars are preferred for short travels and railway transportation for longer ones. The study indicates that expanding the railway network has a high potential to promote modal shifts, especially in long travels. It supports railway network expansion, which is constantly downgraded due to the high associated cost.