DEVELOPMENT OF MODE CHOICE BEHAVIOR MODEL FOR INTER-REGIONAL PUBLIC TRANSPORT– A CASE STUDY OF INDIA

Mode choice behavior of the inter-regional public transport passengers is important for proficient planning and operation of transport systems in developing countries. It is the responsibility of the authority to satisfy the demand for long regional trips having a significant movement of passengers by providing efficient public transport services. Most of the studies for the mode choice behavior of the passengers have been done for the urban mass transport within the urban conglomerate. The study aims to improve knowledge of the factor affecting passengers' decisions on the mode of travel for inter-regional public transportation in India. The Multinomial Logit (MNL) model and Artificial Neural Network (ANN) models among Gujarat State Road Transport Corporation (GSRTC) buses, Railways, and privately operated buses were developed for the trips between Surat city and Bhavnagar region of Gujarat, India. The final ANN model reflects a difference of attributes has 90.52% mode prediction capability against 70.11% of the MNL model. The developed model gives the proper insight for improving the transportation facilities in the region. It is revealed that the improvement in the service level and egress parameters are more important to attract travelers. The sleeper seat availability, lesser travel cost, lesser egress distance, and availability of night journey have been found important during travelers' thinking process to select the traveling mode. There are 13.1% and 20.1% rises in the probability of choosing GSRTC bus and train mode, respectively, with the improvement in the service level. Moreover, the GSRTC bus should improve its connectivity.