Identifying the daily activity-travel patterns of rural residents: A case study of Guiyang, China

Rural transportation is a cornerstone for developing sustainable rural and improving resident well-being. Understanding activity-travel behavior is essential for effective rural management and transportation planning. Existing research has explored the specific activity segments and travel decisions of rural residents. However, there is limited knowledge about the clear profiles of daily activity patterns. Using the sequence analysis method (SAM) based on the 2021 Guiyang Household Travel Survey, we investigate rural residents' activity and travel time allocation and identify daily activity-travel patterns (DATPs). The characteristics of various DATPs are analyzed from the perspectives of activity participation and travel behavior, and the multinomial logit (MNL) model is applied to explore the association between DATPs and sociodemographic attributes. This study identifies six categories of DATP: Work, School, Farm, Social, Life, and Home patterns. Specifically, Work, School, and Farm patterns are dominated by livelihood activities, averaging over 6 h daily, with a morning and evening departure peak. The Social group allocates more time to visiting family or friends and exhibits the peak times before and after meals. The Life pattern involves more life-related services, while the Home group spends more on staying at home and short-duration outdoor activities. Moreover, Work and Life patterns rely more on private cars due to longer travel distances, whereas other DATP groups prefer walking. The results contribute to a better understanding of the daily pattern segmentation for rural residents and tailored transport policies to meet their travel demand.