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Policy implications and analysis of the determinants of travel mode choice: an application of choice experiments to metropolitan Costa Rica

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  17 September 2003

Francisco Alpizar
Affiliation:
CATIE, Costa Rica
Fredrik Carlsson
Affiliation:
Department of Economics, Gothenburg University, Sweden. E-mail: [email protected]

Abstract

In this paper we study a group of policies aimed at discouraging the use of private transportation during peak hours, both directly and indirectly, by increasing the attractiveness of the only available substitute, the bus. This is done using a choice experiment constructed to find the answer to the following basic question: Given fixed house-to work structures and no working hour flexibility, by how much is the choice of travel mode for commuters to work sensitive to changes in travel time, changes in costs for each mode and other service attributes? This information is then used to identify the most suitable combination of policies dealing with air pollution and congestion in the typical developing country context of metropolitan Costa Rica. We also provide estimates of the value of travel time as a measure of the potential benefits gained from reduced congestion.

Type
Theory and Applications
Copyright
© 2003 Cambridge University Press

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Footnotes

We have received valuable comments from two anonymous referees, Olof Johansson-Stenman, Peter Martinsson, Thomas Sterner, Sharon Kuhlman, Victor Castillo and seminar participants at Gothenburg University. Financial support from the Swedish International Development Agency and the Bank of Sweden Tercentenary Foundation is gratefully acknowledged.