Institute of Transportation, MOTC

Kuo-Ting Chao, 2001.06
Institute of Traffic and Transportation, National Chiao Tung University

　　With the rise in domestic airfares, the insufficiency of rail seats, and the improvement of intercity bus services, more and more long-distance passengers have shifted to bus in the west corridor of Taiwan. Plenty of passengers can be found waiting for well-equipped, high-quality service buses on weekends or holidays. Thus, to increase the bus capacity by well utilizing the lower deck space seems promising.

　　The data used in the research are from a stated preference survey of passengers traveling between Taipei - Kaohsiung and Taipei – Taichung. The ordered probit models are used to estimate the acceptance of lower deck seats evaluated by Likert five points. The new modes, sleeper level A (private cabins with a single bed) and sleeper level B(no private cabins but reclining 90 degree seats) are added to the stated preference and combined revealed preference and stated preference models. Respondents can choose from the new modes and the current modes(bus upper seats, train, air and car). Both revealed and stated preference data are used to estimate the modes and sleepers choice models.

　　The results indicate that socio-economic characters, trip characters and previous experience with lower deck seats are important factors affecting the lower deck seats acceptance; socio-economic characters, trip characters and level of service of modes are important factors affecting the lower deck sleepers choice behavior; There is a scale difference between revealed and stated preference data, and the prediction power of combined models are relatively good. The research proposes the lower deck space should be equipped with seats mainly.