Exploring students' choice of active travel to school in different spatial environments: A case study in a mountain city

In order to understand the spatial variations of students' active school travel (AST) across different regions in mountain cities, this paper examines the spatial variations in the influence of socio-economic, topographic, and built environment characteristics on the active mode choice of students in Guiyang, a typical mountainous city in China. Using the data collected from 2021 Guiyang household travel survey, the travel characteristics of 2585 primary and secondary school students distributed in different regions within the city are analyzed. In addition, a semiparametric geographically weighted logistic regression model is employed to examine whether the determinants of students' AST vary across the studied areas. The results show that noticeable spatial variations exist in the relationship between the choice of AST and the selected explanatory variables, with different student groups exhibit sensitivity to these variables in different geographic areas. For example, among students aged 6–12 living in suburban areas, there is a higher likelihood of choosing AST as the school travel distance increases. However, students with long-distance travel in suburban areas are less inclined to choose AST as the terrain slope increases. Conversely, students aged 13–18 in urban areas are more prone to choose AST as the slope increases. To promote equitable access to AST among urban and rural students, several policy recommendations are proposed after considering their socio-economic attributes and travel environment. These recommendations primarily focus on improving school bus services, creating an active travel-friendly environment, enhancing public transit accessibility, and implementing staggered shifts for parents and students.