Commuting mode choice behaviour study and policy suggestions for low-carbon emission transportation in Xi’an (China)

Abstract

This study established the commuting mode choice models in the typical Chinese city of Xi’an by using the Logistic regression method. Results show that commuters will transfer from the walking, bicycle, electric-bicycle/motor or bus to the car if the commuting distance, household income or the car availability increase; commuters will transfer from the walking, bicycle, electric-bicycle/motor to the car and transit if the commuting distance increases; compared with transit, the shorter driving time is the significant factor for the commuters choosing cars. The findings indicate that there is the necessity of great investment in the public transit with high-quality services to shorten the traveling time, combined with measures of car restriction, parking control, road congestion charging and transit priority lanes for the low-carbon emission transportation development in Chinese cities. The findings in the typical city of Xi’an will provide reference value for other cities in the world.