Analysis of Transportation Users’ Preferences and Attitudes for Identifying Micro-Level Determinants of Transportation Network Companies’ (TNCs) Growth

Abstract

Over the last decade, the popularity of Transportation Network Companies (TNCs) as a mode of travel has been increasing at a steady pace. This trend highlights the importance of identifying the determinants that influence transportati on users to adopt TNCs as a preferred mode choice and the impacts of su ch preferences on their travel patterns and transportation network o peration. This paper reports on a recent study undertaken in Birmingham, AL aiming at understanding and documenting the factors that influence transportation users to select TNCs (such as Uber/Lyft) for completing typical day trips. In doing so, a travel diary questionnaire survey was developed in accordance with the Institute of Transportation Engineers (ITE) Manual on Transportation Engineering Studies using the Qualtrics Research Core platform. The que stionnair e was used to survey over 450 transportation users in the Birmingham Metro area. The survey participants provided detailed trip information for a typical 24-hr day along with demographic data and travel preference informatio n. The survey responses provide high-resolution micro-level indicators of travel preferences and behaviors in a TNC-served area, which is a much-needed type of information for researchers and transportation planning agencies.