“Going by car is cheaper and faster” – the perception of costs and travel time between car and public transport in Austria

Beschreibung

As recent events, like the COVID-19 pandemic, climate change and rising fuel prices, present an increasing effect on choice of transport mode, several preconceptions regarding cars need to be reconsidered. Though many individuals claim, that travelling by car is faster and/or cheaper which may be true to some extent, this assumption needs to be reconsidered. Thus, the present research looked at the role of time travel and costs regarding the choice of mode of transport. The evaluation focussed on cars and public transport in the regional context of Vienna and its surroundings as the Viennese area with its 2.85 million inhabitants and approximately 270,000 commuters presents a region of special interest.

First, different types of costs of car usage and the costs of different public transport modes were evaluated. Two types of cars of different sizes and price categories were chosen as examples to depict different types of car users. The cost of car usage were calculated twice: with and without depreciation of the purchase price.
The second part of the project consisted of an online survey. The target group were people, which have access to a car and a public transport timecard as well to assess their preferences regarding choice of transport modes. The final sample consisted of 149 respondents.

When calculating the routes, it was found that depending on the model used and whether or not depreciation was taken into account, some of the selected routes were cheaper by car. When considering depreciation, public transport was cheaper for most of the routes. However, depreciation rates are often not included in a subjective evaluation of car usage costs.
The comparison of net travel times showed that going by car is faster for all 10 routes if highways (which are toll-based in Austria) are included. If highways are not included, the car is faster than public transport in 80% (out of 10 routes). At this point two additional aspects need to be taken into consideration. First, congestion affects travel time. According to a study, travelling in Vienna can take up to 29% longer due to congestion. Accordingly, this 29% were added to the normal net driving time. This lead to the car still being faster on all routes when using the highway and in 60 percent without using the highway. However, an important aspect that has not been considered yet is the time to find a parking space and to get to the car and from the parking spot to the final destination.
The online survey examined the reasons for using a car to go to work, shopping and leisure. Results indicate that the cost aspect is of little relevance in transport modes choices. Travel time, on the other hand, is shown to have an influence on the choice, as it was always among the top three out of nine given reasons. The survey also tested how changes of costs would affect usage preferences. If the cost of using a car doubled, a total of 49% stated they would still use their car at least as much as before. On the other hand, 46% stated that they would use it less. An example of such additional costs was the extension of the Viennese parking ticket system to cover the whole city. Since then, 57% use their car still as much as before. Despite rising gas prices, which increased even further as Austria introduced a CO2-taxation, almost 60% of respondents indicated that they use their car equally much. Even if public transport would be free, still 49% would use their car equally much.
Combining the findings of the cost calculation with the survey data leads to the preliminary conclusion that costs do not have a significant impact on the decision whether a trip will be made by car or public transport. Following the survey, the results need to be linked to existing research on travel mode choice in order to improve understanding of travel mode choice in the Viennese area.

Zeitraum	6 Sept. 2023
Ereignistitel	European Transport Conference (ETC) 2023
Veranstaltungstyp	Konferenz
Ort	Mailand, ItalienAuf Karte anzeigen