Paper Details

TRB 91st Annual Meeting (January 22-26, 2012)

Event Number:	711
Event Title:	Innovations in Activity and Travel Behavior
Event Date:	Jan 25 2012 8:30AM- 10:15AM
Event Location:	Hilton, International Center
Event Description:
Event Agenda:

Rescuing the Captive Mode User: Alternative Approach to Transport Market Segmentation (12-1823)

The prevailing approach to transport market segmentation which identifies two distinct groups, “captive” and “choice” users, has widely been used by professional and scholars despite the ambiguity associated with these terms. Furthermore, conflicting interpretations from the point of view of an agency or municipality and an individual may result in negative policy implications where the needs of captive users are neglected in favour of attracting new users. The purpose of this study is to address these concerns and to propose an alternative framework that could be applied to any mode of transport, in any regional context, as well as by users, agencies and municipalities alike to better guide the development of transport policies. Using the results of a large-scale transportation survey, a series of clustering techniques was employed to derive this alternative approach for segmenting walkers, cyclists, transit and automobile users. The main factors considered in the final clustering analysis are the level of trip satisfaction and practicality. The analysis yielded four final clusters, each with a varying level of trip preference and practicality, motivating an alternative approach to transport market segmentation in which individuals move along a continuum toward various market segment extremes: captivity, utilitarianism, dedication or convenience. It is hoped that the conceptual framework proposed here can aid in shifting transport policy toward providing more preferable and practical options for all modes of transport.

Authors
     Jacques, Cynthia , McGill University, Canada
     Manaugh, Kevin , McGill University, Canada
     El-Geneidy, Ahmed M., McGill University, Canada