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Analysis of Travel Satisfaction with Commuting in Develo** Economy: A Case of New Delhi, India

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Abstract

This study presents a methodology for analyzing travel satisfaction associated with commuting based on a segmentation-based approach and suggests segment-specific policy recommendations for improving trip quality in urban India. A survey questionnaire was developed to collect (1) commuters’ socio-demographic, trip-specific information, (2) commuters’ perceived satisfaction related to daily-, work-, and non-work-/other trips and (3) commuters’ satisfaction associated with the performance of a set of built-environment factors (sidewalk, bus-stop), and (4) commuter’s perception towards the existing level of safety, comfort, and time-efficiency associated with bus, walk, and private-car from 898 respondents across New Delhi, the Indian capital. The Kruskal–Wallis H-test was used to test for heterogeneity in travel satisfaction across various subgroups. Subsequently, a two-step clustering approach was used to classify the commuters into five segments based on age, gender, and commuting mode. The segments are ‘captive bus commuters’, ‘young male choice commuters’, ‘private car commuters’, ‘middle-aged choice commuters’ and ‘female choice commuters’. The user perception towards built-environment, mode-specific characteristics and travel satisfaction levels were explored within each segment. Results indicated that bus-stop safety and security were perceived with low importance, whereas sidewalk quality was satisfactory. Similarly, bus travel's safety, comfort, and reliability aspects were unsatisfactory compared to walking, indicating immediate intervention toward bus-specific infrastructure. The proposed methodology would help formulate specific policy measures to improve the trip satisfaction of urban commuters and facilitate efficient budget allocation for infrastructure improvement programs.

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Data Availability

Some or all data, models, or codes that support this study's findings are available from the corresponding author upon reasonable request.

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Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Civil Engineering, Indian Institute of Technology Bombay, Mumbai, 400076, India

    Malavika Jayakumar

  2. Department of Civil Engineering, BITS Pilani – Hyderabad Campus, Hyderabad, 500078, India

    Prasanta K. Sahu

  3. Department of Civil Engineering, National Institute of Technology Durgapur, West Bengal, 713209, India

    Bandhan Bandhu Majumdar

  4. Department of Civil Engineering, Indian Institute of Technology (BHU), Varanasi, India

    Agnivesh Pani

Authors
  1. Malavika Jayakumar
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  2. Prasanta K. Sahu
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  3. Bandhan Bandhu Majumdar
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  4. Agnivesh Pani
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Correspondence to Prasanta K. Sahu.

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Appendix: Description of Questionnaire Items

Appendix: Description of Questionnaire Items

Items

Statement

Measurement scale

Gender (M/F)

Please state your gender

0—Male

1—Female

Age

Please tick the age-range

0—18–24

1—25–34

2—35–44

3—44–54

4—55 and above

Monthly income level

Please tick on the income-level range (in INR/month)

0—Less than 10,000

1—10,000–20,000

2—20,000–50,000

3—50,000–100,000

4—100,000 and above

Vehicle ownership

Please tick whichever is applicable

0—No

1—Motorised two-wheeler

2—Car

3—Both motorised two-wheeler and car

Sidewalk availability

How satisfied are you with the sidewalk availability in your locality?

0—Least satisfied

1—Less satisfied

2—Neutral

3—Satisfied

4—Highly satisfied

Street light condition

How satisfied are you with the streetlight condition in your locality?

Bus stop safety and security

Are the bus stops safe and secure, in your opinion?

0—Very much unsafe and insecure

1—Unsafe and insecure

2—Neutral

3—Safe and secure

4—Very much safe and secure

Bus stop accessibility

Is the bus stop at an accessible distance from your residence?

0—Highly inaccessible

1—Inaccessible

2—Neutral

3—Accessible

4—Highly accessible

Street congestion level

What is your perception of the congested street?

0—Street was very congested

1—Street was congested

2—Street was neither congested nor free

3—Street was a little congested

4—Street was not at all congested

Walking health benefits

Do you think there are health benefits associated with walking?

0—There is no health benefit

1—There is a little health benefit

2—Neutral

3—There is some health benefit

4—There is a significant health benefit

Bus—safety

How do you perceive the safety of your travel using a bus?

0—Very unsafe

1—Unsafe

2—Neutral

3—Safe

4—Very safe

Car—safety

How do you perceive the safety of your travel using a car?

Walking—safety

How do you perceive the safety of your travel by walking?

Bus—time efficiency

How do you perceive the time efficiency of your travel using the bus?

0—Very inefficient

1—Inefficient

2 – Neutral

3 – Efficient

4 – Very efficient

Car—time efficiency

How do you perceive the time efficiency of your car travel?

Walking—time efficiency

How do you perceive the time efficiency of your travel by walking?

Bus—comfort

How do you perceive the comfort associated with bus travel?

0—Very uncomfortable

1—Uncomfortable

2—Neutral

3—Comfortable

4—Very comfortable

Car—comfort

How do you perceive the comfort associated with car travel?

Walking—comfort

How do you perceive the comfort associated with walking?

Daily travel satisfaction (DTS)

How satisfied are you based on your daily travel experience?

0—Least satisfied

1—Less satisfied

2—Neutral

3—Satisfied

4—Highly satisfied

Work trip satisfaction (WTS)

How satisfied are you based on your work-trip experience?

Other than work trip satisfaction (OTS)

How satisfied are you based on your other / non-work trips (leisure, shop**)

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Jayakumar, M., Sahu, P.K., Majumdar, B.B. et al. Analysis of Travel Satisfaction with Commuting in Develo** Economy: A Case of New Delhi, India. Transp. in Dev. Econ. 9, 7 (2023). https://doi.org/10.1007/s40890-022-00177-0

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