On the Heterogeneity and Substitution Patterns in Mobility Tool Ownership Choices of Post-secondary Students: The Case of Toronto

Abstract The paper presents an investigation of the choices of mobility tool ownership of post-secondary (young adults) students in Toronto. Data came from a 2015 survey of post-secondary students across four universities in Toronto. The choices of owning a basic mobility tool (driver’s license, car, transit pass, and bicycle) or combinations of basic tools (composite tools) are investigated through estimation of cross-nested generalized extreme value (GEV) models. Empirical models reveal that heterogeneity and complicated substitution patterns exist in the choices of mobility tool ownership of young adults (millennials) in Toronto. The paper proposes a parsimonious GEV model that drastically reduces the total number of parameters that are needed to be estimated while accommodating the full range of substitution patterns among the choice alternatives. The model clearly shows the systematic interaction of basic mobility tool ownership utility is more prevalent than the random correlation that a GEV model can capture. Students’ personal and household related attributes influence the choice of owning combinations of mobility tools and influence multimodality. It is also found that older and male students are more multimodal than younger and female students are. High car ownership levels play a pivotal role in the choice of owning transit passes. These trends provide useful information for policymakers should these patterns continue as the student population enters the workforce.