IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/eee/transa/v176y2023ics0965856423002161.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

The role of time budgets in models of multi-tasking while travelling: A comparison between the MDCEV and eMDC approach

Author

Listed:
  • Palma, David
  • Calastri, Chiara
  • Pawlak, Jacek

Abstract

The increasingly widespread use of mobile technologies and connectivity as well as vehicle automation have triggered renewed attention to the issue of productivity and enjoyment of time spent travelling. Rejecting the traditional assumption that travel time is “wasted”, questions of whether improved fruition of time spent travelling can help encourage PT ridership and affect the uptake of autonomous vehicles draw increasing interest. Yet, the investigation of how people spend travel time, especially from a modelling standpoint, is still an emerging field in travel behaviour research. This paper contributes to this area of study by jointly analysing activity engagement and time use while travelling, with a particular focus on multitasking, i.e. conducting activities other than travel. The application of the newly developed extended Multiple Discrete-Continuous (eMDC) model allows the relaxation of the assumption of a defined time budget, allowing the performance of multiple activities at the same time, and permits investigating substitutions and complementarity effects between different activities. The eMDC is found to be more suitable to model multitasking compared to existing approaches because (i) it does not require arbitrarily dropping activities when they are performed at the same time, and (ii) it allows capturing complementarity and substitution effects. By applying the model to the UK Time-Use Survey, we find that social and work activities as well as social and mass media consumption are substitutes while travelling. We also forecast time-use changes under different transport policy scenarios, proving impacts of substitution effects. While eMDC is our preferred approach, we observe that depending on the choice of modelling framework, the results can lead to different conclusions concerning suitability of particular policy measures. Hence, for future applications, testing of different frameworks is advised to assess sensitivity of the conclusions to the implicit modelling assumptions.

Suggested Citation

  • Palma, David & Calastri, Chiara & Pawlak, Jacek, 2023. "The role of time budgets in models of multi-tasking while travelling: A comparison between the MDCEV and eMDC approach," Transportation Research Part A: Policy and Practice, Elsevier, vol. 176(C).
    • Handle: RePEc:eee:transa:v:176:y:2023:i:c:s0965856423002161
    DOI: 10.1016/j.tra.2023.103796
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0965856423002161
    Download Restriction: Full text for ScienceDirect subscribers only
    File URL: https://libkey.io/10.1016/j.tra.2023.103796?utm_source=ideas
    LibKey link: if access is restricted and if your library uses this service, LibKey will redirect you to where you can use your library subscription to access this item
    ---><---

    As the access to this document is restricted, you may want to search for a different version of it.

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Susan Kenyon, 2010. "What do we mean by multitasking? – Exploring the need for methodological clarification in time use research," electronic International Journal of Time Use Research, Research Institute on Professions (Forschungsinstitut Freie Berufe (FFB)) and The International Association for Time Use Research (IATUR), vol. 7(1), pages 42-60, October.
    2. Thomas Bjørner, 2016. "Time Use on Trains: Media Use/Non-use and Complex Shifts in Activities," Mobilities, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 11(5), pages 681-702, October.
    3. Bernardo, Christina & Paleti, Rajesh & Hoklas, Megan & Bhat, Chandra, 2015. "An empirical investigation into the time-use and activity patterns of dual-earner couples with and without young children," Transportation Research Part A: Policy and Practice, Elsevier, vol. 76(C), pages 71-91.
    4. Nobuaki Ohmori & Noboru Harata, 2008. "How Different Are Activities While Commuting By Train? A Case In Tokyo," Tijdschrift voor Economische en Sociale Geografie, Royal Dutch Geographical Society KNAG, vol. 99(5), pages 547-561, December.
    5. Bhat, Chandra R., 2018. "A new flexible multiple discrete–continuous extreme value (MDCEV) choice model," Transportation Research Part B: Methodological, Elsevier, vol. 110(C), pages 261-279.
    6. Palma, David & Hess, Stephane, 2022. "Extending the Multiple Discrete Continuous (MDC) modelling framework to consider complementarity, substitution, and an unobserved budget," Transportation Research Part B: Methodological, Elsevier, vol. 161(C), pages 13-35.
    7. Frei, Charlotte & Mahmassani, Hani S. & Frei, Andreas, 2015. "Making time count: Traveler activity engagement on urban transit," Transportation Research Part A: Policy and Practice, Elsevier, vol. 76(C), pages 58-70.
    8. Giovanni Circella & Patricia L. Mokhtarian & Laura K. Poff, 2012. "A conceptual typology of multitasking behavior and polychronicity preferences," electronic International Journal of Time Use Research, Research Institute on Professions (Forschungsinstitut Freie Berufe (FFB)) and The International Association for Time Use Research (IATUR), vol. 9(1), pages 59-107, November.
    9. Luciano Gamberini & Anna Spagnolli & Andrea Miotto & Eva Ferrari & Nicola Corradi & Sarah Furlan, 2013. "Passengers’ activities during short trips on the London Underground," Transportation, Springer, vol. 40(2), pages 251-268, February.
    10. Imre Keseru & Cathy Macharis, 2018. "Travel-based multitasking: review of the empirical evidence," Transport Reviews, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 38(2), pages 162-183, March.
    11. Correia, Gonçalo Homem de Almeida & Looff, Erwin & van Cranenburgh, Sander & Snelder, Maaike & van Arem, Bart, 2019. "On the impact of vehicle automation on the value of travel time while performing work and leisure activities in a car: Theoretical insights and results from a stated preference survey," Transportation Research Part A: Policy and Practice, Elsevier, vol. 119(C), pages 359-382.
    12. Mark Wardman & Glenn Lyons, 2016. "The digital revolution and worthwhile use of travel time: implications for appraisal and forecasting," Transportation, Springer, vol. 43(3), pages 507-530, May.
    13. Pawlak, Jacek & Polak, John W. & Sivakumar, Aruna, 2017. "A framework for joint modelling of activity choice, duration, and productivity while travelling," Transportation Research Part B: Methodological, Elsevier, vol. 106(C), pages 153-172.
    14. Bhat, Chandra R. & Castro, Marisol & Pinjari, Abdul Rawoof, 2015. "Allowing for complementarity and rich substitution patterns in multiple discrete–continuous models," Transportation Research Part B: Methodological, Elsevier, vol. 81(P1), pages 59-77.
    15. Molin, Eric & Adjenughwure, Kingsley & de Bruyn, Menno & Cats, Oded & Warffemius, Pim, 2020. "Does conducting activities while traveling reduce the value of time? Evidence from a within-subjects choice experiment," Transportation Research Part A: Policy and Practice, Elsevier, vol. 132(C), pages 18-29.
    16. Hess, Stephane & Palma, David, 2019. "Apollo: A flexible, powerful and customisable freeware package for choice model estimation and application," Journal of choice modelling, Elsevier, vol. 32(C), pages 1-1.
    17. Patricia Mokhtarian & Francis Papon & Matthieu Goulard & Marco Diana, 2015. "What makes travel pleasant and/or tiring? An investigation based on the French National Travel Survey," Transportation, Springer, vol. 42(6), pages 1103-1128, November.
    18. Jia Tang & Feng Zhen & Jason Cao & Patricia L. Mokhtarian, 2018. "How do passengers use travel time? A case study of Shanghai–Nanjing high speed rail," Transportation, Springer, vol. 45(2), pages 451-477, March.
    19. Jacek Pawlak, 2020. "Travel-based multitasking: review of the role of digital activities and connectivity," Transport Reviews, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 40(4), pages 429-456, July.
    20. Bhat, Chandra R. & Srinivasan, Sivaramakrishnan & Sen, Sudeshna, 2006. "A joint model for the perfect and imperfect substitute goods case: Application to activity time-use decisions," Transportation Research Part B: Methodological, Elsevier, vol. 40(10), pages 827-850, December.
    21. Richard Batley, 2015. "The Hensher equation: derivation, interpretation and implications for practical implementation," Transportation, Springer, vol. 42(2), pages 257-275, March.
    22. Chiara Calastri & Jacek Pawlak & Richard Batley, 2022. "Participation in online activities while travelling: an application of the MDCEV model in the context of rail travel," Transportation, Springer, vol. 49(1), pages 61-87, February.
    23. Pradeep K. Chintagunta, 1993. "Investigating Purchase Incidence, Brand Choice and Purchase Quantity Decisions of Households," Marketing Science, INFORMS, vol. 12(2), pages 184-208.
    24. Bhat, Chandra R., 2008. "The multiple discrete-continuous extreme value (MDCEV) model: Role of utility function parameters, identification considerations, and model extensions," Transportation Research Part B: Methodological, Elsevier, vol. 42(3), pages 274-303, March.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Most related items

    These are the items that most often cite the same works as this one and are cited by the same works as this one.
    1. Pudāne, Baiba & van Cranenburgh, Sander & Chorus, Caspar G., 2021. "A day in the life with an automated vehicle: Empirical analysis of data from an interactive stated activity-travel survey," Journal of choice modelling, Elsevier, vol. 39(C).
    2. Chiara Calastri & Jacek Pawlak & Richard Batley, 2022. "Participation in online activities while travelling: an application of the MDCEV model in the context of rail travel," Transportation, Springer, vol. 49(1), pages 61-87, February.
    3. Shamshiripour, Ali & Rahimi, Ehsan & (Kouros) Mohammadian, Abolfazl & Auld, Joshua, 2020. "Investigating the influence of latent lifestyles on productive travels: Insights into designing autonomous transit system," Transportation Research Part A: Policy and Practice, Elsevier, vol. 141(C), pages 469-484.
    4. Bounie, Nathan & Adoue, François & Koning, Martin & L'Hostis, Alain, 2019. "What value do travelers put on connectivity to mobile phone and Internet networks in public transport? Empirical evidence from the Paris region," Transportation Research Part A: Policy and Practice, Elsevier, vol. 130(C), pages 158-177.
    5. Tang, Jia & Mokhtarian, Patricia L. & Zhen, Feng, 2020. "How do passengers allocate and evaluate their travel time? Evidence from a survey on the Shanghai–Nanjing high speed rail corridor, China," Journal of Transport Geography, Elsevier, vol. 85(C).
    6. Muhamad Rizki & Tri Basuki Joewono & Dimas B. E. Dharmowijoyo & Prawira Fajarindra Belgiawan, 2021. "Does multitasking improve the travel experience of public transport users? Investigating the activities during commuter travels in the Bandung Metropolitan Area, Indonesia," Public Transport, Springer, vol. 13(2), pages 429-454, June.
    7. Aliaksandr Malokin & Giovanni Circella & Patricia L. Mokhtarian, 2021. "Do millennials value travel time differently because of productive multitasking? A revealed-preference study of Northern California commuters," Transportation, Springer, vol. 48(5), pages 2787-2823, October.
    8. Malokin, Aliaksandr & Circella, Giovanni & Mokhtarian, Patricia L., 2019. "How do activities conducted while commuting influence mode choice? Using revealed preference models to inform public transportation advantage and autonomous vehicle scenarios," Transportation Research Part A: Policy and Practice, Elsevier, vol. 124(C), pages 82-114.
    9. Molin, Eric & Adjenughwure, Kingsley & de Bruyn, Menno & Cats, Oded & Warffemius, Pim, 2020. "Does conducting activities while traveling reduce the value of time? Evidence from a within-subjects choice experiment," Transportation Research Part A: Policy and Practice, Elsevier, vol. 132(C), pages 18-29.
    10. Saxena, Shobhit & Pinjari, Abdul Rawoof & Paleti, Rajesh, 2022. "A multiple discrete-continuous extreme value model with ordered preferences (MDCEV-OP): Modelling framework for episode-level activity participation and time-use analysis," Transportation Research Part B: Methodological, Elsevier, vol. 166(C), pages 259-283.
    11. Mark Wardman & Phani Chintakayala & Chris Heywood, 2020. "The valuation and demand impacts of the worthwhile use of travel time with specific reference to the digital revolution and endogeneity," Transportation, Springer, vol. 47(3), pages 1515-1540, June.
    12. Palma, David & Hess, Stephane, 2022. "Extending the Multiple Discrete Continuous (MDC) modelling framework to consider complementarity, substitution, and an unobserved budget," Transportation Research Part B: Methodological, Elsevier, vol. 161(C), pages 13-35.
    13. Choi, Sungtaek & Mokhtarian, Patricia L., 2020. "How attractive is it to use the internet while commuting? A work-attitude-based segmentation of Northern California commuters," Transportation Research Part A: Policy and Practice, Elsevier, vol. 138(C), pages 37-50.
    14. Calastri, Chiara & Giergiczny, Marek & Zedrosser, Andreas & Hess, Stephane, 2023. "Modelling activity patterns of wild animals - An application of the multiple discrete-continuous extreme value (MDCEV) model," Journal of choice modelling, Elsevier, vol. 47(C).
    15. Rodrigo J. Tapia & Gerard Jong & Ana M. Larranaga & Helena B. Bettella Cybis, 2021. "Exploring Multiple‐discreteness in Freight Transport. A Multiple Discrete Extreme Value Model Application for Grain Consolidators in Argentina," Networks and Spatial Economics, Springer, vol. 21(3), pages 581-608, September.
    16. Mondal, Aupal & Bhat, Chandra R., 2021. "A new closed form multiple discrete-continuous extreme value (MDCEV) choice model with multiple linear constraints," Transportation Research Part B: Methodological, Elsevier, vol. 147(C), pages 42-66.
    17. Schmid, Basil & Molloy, Joseph & Peer, Stefanie & Jokubauskaite, Simona & Aschauer, Florian & Hössinger, Reinhard & Gerike, Regine & Jara-Diaz, Sergio R. & Axhausen, Kay W., 2021. "The value of travel time savings and the value of leisure in Zurich: Estimation, decomposition and policy implications," Transportation Research Part A: Policy and Practice, Elsevier, vol. 150(C), pages 186-215.
    18. Patricia L. Mokhtarian, 2019. "Subjective well-being and travel: retrospect and prospect," Transportation, Springer, vol. 46(2), pages 493-513, April.
    19. Ozonder, Gozde & Miller, Eric J., 2021. "Longitudinal investigation of skeletal activity episode timing decisions – A copula approach," Journal of choice modelling, Elsevier, vol. 40(C).
    20. Pawlak, Jacek & Polak, John W. & Sivakumar, Aruna, 2017. "A framework for joint modelling of activity choice, duration, and productivity while travelling," Transportation Research Part B: Methodological, Elsevier, vol. 106(C), pages 153-172.

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:eee:transa:v:176:y:2023:i:c:s0965856423002161. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    If CitEc recognized a bibliographic reference but did not link an item in RePEc to it, you can help with this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: Catherine Liu (email available below). General contact details of provider: http://www.elsevier.com/wps/find/journaldescription.cws_home/547/description#description .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.