Travel Behavior of Suburban Commuters: The Influence of Individual Characteristics, Family Characteristics, Job-Housing, and Rail Transit Relationship

Structural equation modeling (SEM) was adopted to analyze the influence mechanism of suburban commuters’ travel behavior based on the Shanghai Household Travel Survey. The results show that both socio-demographic characteristics and the relationship between job-housing and rail transit affect residents’ commute mode choices. Rail transit mode is significantly affected by the job/housing–transit relationship, especially whether the work is close to the rail transit station. In addition, job-housing distance and non-work activities of commuters are factors too. The vehicle mode mainly depends on the car ownership of households, which inhibits the use of electric bicycles. Meanwhile, it also affected the level of rail transit commuting. The electric bicycle mode is greatly influenced by car ownership and job/housing–transit relationship. Our findings have positive value for formulating traffic policies and land use planning in suburban areas and guiding the travel behavior of suburban commuters.