Choice stimuli of middle class travelers

Abstract

In the current scenario the transportation industry is suffering from an inherent hierarchical orientation, which is totally distinct from the traveler's orientation. The prevailing situation demands a change in their prejudiced center of attention and become truly market driven. It involves tackling inefficient and improper things in all areas and responding effectively to the traveler's demands. Being a service industry it is very difficult to run them under the strict business principle of no-profit and no-loss, since they are run more as social services than business. The present study aims to determine the contribution of various variables and their levels in the choice stimuli of middle class travelers with special reference to bus transportation. Its objective is to measure an extent to which the attributes of bus transportation are able to determine travelers best choices at different levels of distances. The study reveals that a middle class traveler consider all the three attributes i.e. Tariff, class, and various facilities provided by the mode of transportation while taking traveling decision. But traveling time and distance to be traveled is a major factor behind deciding the hierarchy of these attributes.

Keywords: Transportation, demand, preferences, choice stimuli, attributes.

View PDF