A Modal Choice Model for Fare-Free Transit

Using travel data collected at the University of Massachusetts during a research and demonstration project sponsored by UMTA, a disaggregate behavioral mode choice model has been developed for predicting ridership on fare-free transit systems. The calibrated model suggests that access time to the fare-free transit stop, annual automobile parking fee, auto mode bias constant reflecting the comfort and convenience associated with auto travel, and number of autos available for commuting are the most significant attributes in explaining the mode choice between auto and fare-free transit. For this specific demonstration project, some level-of-service variables, such as the difference between in-vehicle travel time using auto and fare-free transit, auto operating cost, wait time at the fare-free transit stop, and some of the socioeconomic attributes of the commuter, such as sex and status, were not found to be as important in affecting the mode choice.