Influence of in-vehicle crowding on passenger travel time value: Insights from bus transit in Shanghai, China

Abstract In-vehicle crowding is an external cost imposed on passengers by public transport. It is necessary to quantify the crowding discomfort to measure its influence on passengers’ travel choice. This study presents a stated preference survey embedded with revealed preference to investigate the influence of in-vehicle crowding on the travel choice behavior. The in-vehicle crowding degree is measured as standing density. Considering the in-vehicle environment and the subjective perception of passengers, the classification criteria for the in-vehicle crowding degree of bus transit are put forward. Then, the mixed logit model is used to establish the utility function of bus passenger travel choice behavior under different in-vehicle crowding degrees, and the value of travel time is calculated. Also, the functional relationship between in-vehicle crowding and travel time value is identified. In addition, by converting in-vehicle crowding into time, the travel impedance model considering in-vehicle crowding and the crowding value of time multipliers are defined. A study of Shanghai bus transit shows that when the standing density is higher than 7.5 passengers per square meter, bus passengers are willing to exchange 12.83 Chinese Yuan RMB for 1-hour travel time saving, and the perceived in-vehicle time is twice as long as the actual in-vehicle time. This study provides a reference for improving the attraction of bus transit and easing the decline in bus rides.