Estimating demand for rural intercity bus services

Abstract The objective of this research is to develop an intercity mode choice model that can be incorporated into a travel demand model to estimate demand for rural intercity bus services. Four intercity transportation modes are considered in the study: automobile, bus, rail, and air. A stated preference survey was conducted of individuals across the state of North Dakota, and a mixed logit model was developed to estimate a mode choice model. Results from the mode choice model show the significant impacts of individual, trip, and mode characteristics on choice of mode. Gender, age, income, disability, trip purpose, party size, travel time, travel cost, and access distance were all found to have significant impacts on mode choice. This study was conducted in the largely rural state of North Dakota, but results could be transferable to other areas with similar geographic characteristics.