Assessing the Determinant Factors Influencing Transport Mode Choice: A Case of Debre Berhan City

Abstract

Mode choice behavior directly affects the layout of the urban transportation system and serves as the foundation for the development of policies about the planning and administration of urban transportation. This study focused on the city’s various transportation options, aiming to pinpoint and investigate several factors influencing transportation mode selection. The data included the traffic survey; traveler interviews were gathered using a questionnaire survey, structured interviews, and secondary documents. The collected data from the questionnaire survey were then analyzed using a multinomial logit (MNL) model to assess the relationships between different parameters and mode choice. The investigation considered several concerns, including travel distance, travel time, travel cost, safety, environmental impact, health benefits, and comfort. Both qualitative and quantitative methods of sustainability have been integrated into this study. The MNL model’s pseudo‐R‐squared value illustrates the apparent correlation between the independent and dependent variables. The multilayer perceptron (MLP) model was used as a comparison model. The results show that MLP has higher predictive performance than the MNL model in assessing transport mode choice in the city. The study reveals that travel distance, time, availability, health benefits, comfort, safety, cost, and environmental impact significantly influence mode choice for work trips. Public services are safer, less environmentally impactful, and more accessible, while walking is safest, offers health benefits, and is more environmentally friendly but is preferred by the youngest. Private vehicle users offer more safety but are less cost‐effective. Minibus users provide better cost‐benefit and safety but take longer travel times. Overall, the study was used to understand passenger preferences and critical factors in transport options, thereby aiding policymakers in making informed decisions and suggestions for improving the transport system in similar cities.