Understanding Mode Choice Behavior of People with Disabilities: A Case Study in Utah

Despite the growing recognition of the importance of inclusive transportation policies nationwide, there is still a gap, as the existing transportation models often fail to capture the unique travel behavior of people with disabilities. This research study focuses on understanding the mode choice behavior of individuals with travel-limited disabilities and comparing the group with no such disability. The study identified key factors influencing mode preferences for both groups by utilizing Utah's household travel survey, simulation algorithm and Multinomial Logit model. Explanatory variables include household and socio-demographic attributes, personal, trip characteristics, and built environment variables. The analysis revealed intriguing trends, including a shift towards carpooling among disabled individuals. People with disabilities placed less emphasis on travel time saving. A lower value of travel time for people with disabilities is potentially due to factors like part-time work, reduced transit fare, and no or shared cost for carpooling. Despite a 50% fare reduction for the disabled group, transit accessibility remains a significant barrier in their choice of Transit mode. In downtown areas, people with no disability were found to choose transit compared to driving, whereas disabled people preferred carpooling. Travelers with no driving licenses and disabled people who use transit daily showed complex travel patterns among multiple modes. The study emphasizes the need for accessible and inclusive transportation options, such as improved public transit services, shorter first and last miles in transit, and better connectivity for non-motorized modes, to cater to the unique needs of disabled travelers. The findings of this study have significant policy implications such as an inclusive mode choice modeling framework for creating a more sustainable and inclusive transportation system.