Value of travel time savings for children: an analysis of questionnaire surveys in Japan

IF 3.4 3区工程技术 Q1 ECONOMICS

Research in Transportation Economics Pub Date : 2025-09-16 DOI:10.1016/j.retrec.2025.101634

Kiyohito Utsunomiya

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引用次数: 0

Abstract

The value of travel time savings (VTTS) is a critical parameter for estimating the social benefits of transport projects. However, only a few studies have focused on VTTS for children. We conducted two questionnaire surveys in Japan: a nationwide web-based survey and a mail-based survey in the regional city of Hitachinaka, where a new railway station was built in front of a school. Respondents were asked to compare VTTS for children with that for adults. In the nationwide survey, many participants stated that VTTS for children was similar to that for adults. However, in Hitachinaka, most respondents perceived VTTS for elementary school students to be higher than that for adults. Even in the nationwide survey, responses indicating that VTTS for children is ‘higher than for adults’ outnumbered those indicating it is ‘lower’ or of ‘little value’. The key reasons cited included parental concerns for safety during travel and children's higher absorptive potential. These findings suggest that current evaluations may underestimate the benefits of reducing children's travel time, potentially distorting public transportation investment decisions.

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为儿童节省旅行时间的价值：日本问卷调查的分析

出行时间节约值（VTTS）是评估交通项目社会效益的关键参数。然而，只有少数研究关注儿童的VTTS。我们在日本进行了两项问卷调查：一项是全国性的网络调查，另一项是在日中市进行的邮件调查，日中市在一所学校前面建了一个新的火车站。受访者被要求比较儿童和成人的VTTS。在全国范围内的调查中，许多参与者表示，儿童的VTTS与成人相似。然而，在日中，大多数受访者认为小学生的VTTS高于成人。即使在全国范围内的调查中，认为儿童的VTTS“高于成人”的回答也超过了认为它“较低”或“价值不大”的回答。他们提到的主要原因包括父母对旅行安全的担忧以及儿童更高的吸收潜力。这些发现表明，目前的评估可能低估了减少儿童出行时间的好处，可能会扭曲公共交通投资决策。

本文章由计算机程序翻译，如有差异，请以英文原文为准。

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来源期刊

Research in Transportation Economics Multiple-

CiteScore

8.40

自引率

2.60%

发文量

审稿时长

60 days

期刊介绍： Research in Transportation Economics is a journal devoted to the dissemination of high quality economics research in the field of transportation. The content covers a wide variety of topics relating to the economics aspects of transportation, government regulatory policies regarding transportation, and issues of concern to transportation industry planners. The unifying theme throughout the papers is the application of economic theory and/or applied economic methodologies to transportation questions.