Does easy mean happy? Exploring the impact of ease of travel on travel satisfaction

Many studies have examined the determinants of travel satisfaction. However, how the perceived ability to travel, i.e., ease of travel (EoT), influences travel satisfaction has not been analysed in a comprehensive way. In this study, we will analyse how EoT, which is comprised of travel motivation, travel skills, travel options and travel quality, impacts satisfaction with travel to campus of 2593 students and staff members of University College London (UCL). One-way ANOVAs show that respondents with high levels of EoT are more satisfied with their trips to campus compared to those with lower EoT levels. Based on linear regressions (per mode and all modes combined), we found that all EoT elements seem to positively affect travel satisfaction, even after controlling for socio-demographics and trip characteristics. This indicates that EoT may be regarded as an important predictor of travel satisfaction. Apart from EoT, also age, mode choice, weather conditions and levels of crowding and congestion were found to significantly impact travel satisfaction. Somewhat surprisingly, effects of travelling alone, trip duration, and travel disabilities on travel satisfaction – which were often found in existing studies – were weak, suggesting that these effects may be partly explained/moderated by variations in EoT elements. In order to make public transport and active travel trips more satisfying, we recommend policy makers to focus on (1) improving the quality of public transport services and active travel infrastructure, and (2) helping people to improve their skills required to easily walk, cycle or use public transport.