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Pre-trip information and route-choice decisions with stochastic travel conditions: Experiment

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  • Rapoport, Amnon
  • Gisches, Eyran J.
  • Daniel, Terry
  • Lindsey, Robin

Abstract

This paper studies the effects of pre-trip information on route-choice decisions when travel conditions on two alternative congestible routes vary unpredictably. It presents and discusses an experiment designed to test a model recently proposed in a companion paper by Lindsey et al. (2013). That model predicts that if free-flow costs on the two routes are unequal, travel cost functions are convex, and capacities are positively and perfectly correlated, then in equilibrium, paradoxically, total expected travel costs increase with the provision of pre-trip information about travel conditions on each route. By contrast, when capacities vary independently, total expected travel costs are predicted to decrease with pre-trip information. We reformulate the model for finite populations, and then test and find support for its predictions in an experiment where under different capacity scenarios, and with and without pre-trip information, subjects are asked to choose routes with payoff contingent on their performance.

Suggested Citation

  • Rapoport, Amnon & Gisches, Eyran J. & Daniel, Terry & Lindsey, Robin, 2014. "Pre-trip information and route-choice decisions with stochastic travel conditions: Experiment," Transportation Research Part B: Methodological, Elsevier, vol. 68(C), pages 154-172.
  • Handle: RePEc:eee:transb:v:68:y:2014:i:c:p:154-172
    DOI: 10.1016/j.trb.2014.06.007
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    10. Collins, Mor & Etzioni, Shelly & Ben-Elia, Eran, 2024. "Travel behavior and system dynamics in a simple gamified automated multimodal network," Transportation Research Part A: Policy and Practice, Elsevier, vol. 183(C).
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    14. Wei, Fangfang & Jia, Ning & Ma, Shoufeng, 2016. "Day-to-day traffic dynamics considering social interaction: From individual route choice behavior to a network flow model," Transportation Research Part B: Methodological, Elsevier, vol. 94(C), pages 335-354.
    15. Helle, Joose & Poom, Age & Willberg, Elias S & Toivonen, Tuuli, 2021. "The Green Paths route planning software for exposure-optimised travel," OSF Preprints vxcp3, Center for Open Science.
    16. Jiang, Gege & Fosgerau, Mogens & Lo, Hong K., 2020. "Route choice, travel time variability, and rational inattention," Transportation Research Part B: Methodological, Elsevier, vol. 132(C), pages 188-207.
    17. Bifulco, Gennaro N. & Cantarella, Giulio E. & Simonelli, Fulvio & Velonà, Pietro, 2016. "Advanced traveller information systems under recurrent traffic conditions: Network equilibrium and stability," Transportation Research Part B: Methodological, Elsevier, vol. 92(PA), pages 73-87.
    18. Sun, Xiaoyan & Li, Wentao & Jiang, Rui & Zhu, Yubing & Chen, Dong, 2022. "Study on the influence of road capacity and information feedback on urban traffic system equilibrium state," Physica A: Statistical Mechanics and its Applications, Elsevier, vol. 593(C).
    19. Li, Pengbo & Tian, Lijun & Xiao, Feng & Zhu, Hongwei, 2022. "Can day-to-day dynamic model be solved analytically? New insights on portraying equilibrium and accommodating autonomous vehicles," Transportation Research Part B: Methodological, Elsevier, vol. 166(C), pages 374-395.

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