Mode choice for urban work-based daily trips: A multi-criteria decision making model using the analytical hierarchical process

Abstract

The research work attempts to gain an understanding of the importance of various parameters affecting the mode choice made by urban transport users e.g. time, fare, comfort, reliability and accessibility, etc. The research aims to understand the major influences on user behaviour in an environment where all modes are available for use. In order to find the optimal decision, attempts were made to develop a model using the Analytical Hierarchy Process (AHP). An eight by eight matrix of parameters was developed where the users were asked to rank the pairwise relative importance of the parameters. The users were then classified based on income, age, city, mode used, etc., and the relative importance of each parameter was calculated in order to identify the varying trends between users of different demographic and economic groups.