Road Passenger Ticketing Channel Choice and Preference

Multiple channels for ticketing have been widely employed in the road passenger transportation industry. However, little transportation research has been done on the ticketing channel subject. This study attempts to identify the critical factors that affect ticketing channel choice. We propose a three-stage ticketing process as a basic research framework, including information inquiry, purchase, and ticket pick-up. Based on the data of the networking ticketing system in Beijing, this study adopts a multinomial logit model to examine the influence of channel preferences. This research reveals the factors that affect ticketing channel choice and preference, including gender, age, income, advance time of ticketing, and service frequency. Passengers often adopt different channels at each ticketing stage, meaning that there are heterogeneous preferences in ticketing process. The findings of this study have implications for transportation operators to design precise ticketing channel services and to optimize marketing strategies.