IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/eee/transa/v204y2026ics0965856425004732.html

Five minutes more or less: Understanding the travel time experience in public transport

Author

Listed:
  • Hansson, Joel
  • Persson, Andreas
  • Svensson, Helena

Abstract

This study examines how public transport passengers experience and use travel time and under what conditions they are particularly concerned about shorter travel time. Using a survey of Swedish public transport users and a follow-up focus group, we compare current patterns with a similar 2009 study. Findings indicate a slight decline in perceived value of travel time, coinciding with a marked reduction in working and studying during travel and a rise in passive and entertainment-oriented activities, likely linked to the substantially expanded availability of digital content. While our results confirm the findings of previous studies regarding the role of meaningful activities in shaping perceptions of travel time, they also suggest that the digital revolution has not amplified this effect as much as anticipated. Furthermore, regression analyses show that concern for shorter travel time peaks at moderate durations (30–45 min) and varies by age, public transport experience, and travel conditions. However, despite incorporating numerous explanatory variables, the explanatory power of the model remained modest, suggesting that these preferences are influenced by factors that are challenging to operationalise quantitatively. Our qualitative findings support this interpretation, indicating that attitudes toward travel time savings were often tied to perceived speed and journey smoothness rather than the actual time saved.

Suggested Citation

  • Hansson, Joel & Persson, Andreas & Svensson, Helena, 2026. "Five minutes more or less: Understanding the travel time experience in public transport," Transportation Research Part A: Policy and Practice, Elsevier, vol. 204(C).
    • Handle: RePEc:eee:transa:v:204:y:2026:i:c:s0965856425004732
    DOI: 10.1016/j.tra.2025.104840
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0965856425004732
    Download Restriction: Full text for ScienceDirect subscribers only
    File URL: https://libkey.io/10.1016/j.tra.2025.104840?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

    for a different version of it.

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. 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.
    2. Van Acker, Veronique & Cornet, Yannick & Milakis, Dimitris & Malichová, Eva & Ojeda-Cabral, Manuel, 2025. "Understanding worthwhile travel time: An empirical study of travel experiences across transport modes," Transportation Research Part A: Policy and Practice, Elsevier, vol. 192(C).
    3. Lothlorien Redmond & Patricia Mokhtarian, 2001. "The positive utility of the commute: modeling ideal commute time and relative desired commute amount," Transportation, Springer, vol. 28(2), pages 179-205, May.
    4. 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.
    5. Ana Luiza S. de Sá & Patrícia S. Lavieri & Jacek Pawlak & Aruna Sivakumar & Russell G. Thompson, 2025. "The effects of travel time use on activity-travel behaviour: knowledge consolidation and research agenda for current and future transport options," Transport Reviews, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 45(6), pages 869-896, November.
    6. Lunke, Erik B. & Fearnley, N. & Aarhaug, J., 2021. "Public transport competitiveness vs. the car: Impact of relative journey time and service attributes," Research in Transportation Economics, Elsevier, vol. 90(C).
    7. Bouscasse, Hélène & de Lapparent, Matthieu, 2019. "Perceived comfort and values of travel time savings in the Rhône-Alpes Region," Transportation Research Part A: Policy and Practice, Elsevier, vol. 124(C), pages 370-387.
    8. Ettema, Dick & Friman, Margareta & Gärling, Tommy & Olsson, Lars E. & Fujii, Satoshi, 2012. "How in-vehicle activities affect work commuters’ satisfaction with public transport," Journal of Transport Geography, Elsevier, vol. 24(C), pages 215-222.
    9. Lyons, Glenn & Urry, John, 2005. "Travel time use in the information age," Transportation Research Part A: Policy and Practice, Elsevier, vol. 39(2-3), pages 257-276.
    10. de Sá, Ana Luiza S. & Lavieri, Patrícia Sauri & Pawlak, Jacek, 2025. "Examining the determinants of travel time use and the transfer of activities into trips," Transportation Research Part A: Policy and Practice, Elsevier, vol. 195(C).
    11. William Clayton & Juliet Jain & Graham Parkhurst, 2017. "An ideal journey: making bus travel desirable," Mobilities, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 12(5), pages 706-725, September.
    12. Yannick Cornet & Giuseppe Lugano & Christina Georgouli & Dimitris Milakis, 2022. "Worthwhile travel time: a conceptual framework of the perceived value of enjoyment, productivity and fitness while travelling," Transport Reviews, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 42(5), pages 580-603, September.
    13. Altieri, Marcelo & Silva, Cecília & Terabe, Shintaro, 2020. "Give public transit a chance: A comparative analysis of competitive travel time in public transit modal share," Journal of Transport Geography, Elsevier, vol. 87(C).
    14. Meng, Meng & Rau, Andreas & Mahardhika, Hita, 2018. "Public transport travel time perception: Effects of socioeconomic characteristics, trip characteristics and facility usage," Transportation Research Part A: Policy and Practice, Elsevier, vol. 114(PA), pages 24-37.
    15. Jain, Juliet & Lyons, Glenn, 2008. "The gift of travel time," Journal of Transport Geography, Elsevier, vol. 16(2), pages 81-89.
    16. Wardman, Mark & Chintakayala, V. Phani K. & de Jong, Gerard, 2016. "Values of travel time in Europe: Review and meta-analysis," Transportation Research Part A: Policy and Practice, Elsevier, vol. 94(C), pages 93-111.
    17. Le, Huyen T.K. & Buehler, Ralph & Fan, Yingling & Hankey, Steve, 2020. "Expanding the positive utility of travel through weeklong tracking: Within-person and multi-environment variability of ideal travel time," Journal of Transport Geography, Elsevier, vol. 84(C).
    18. Marie Russell & Patricia Mokhtarian, 2015. "How real is a reported desire to travel for its own sake? Exploring the ‘teleportation’ concept in travel behaviour research," Transportation, Springer, vol. 42(2), pages 333-345, March.
    19. Donggen Wang & Fion Law, 2007. "Impacts of Information and Communication Technologies (ICT) on time use and travel behavior: a structural equations analysis," Transportation, Springer, vol. 34(4), pages 513-527, July.
    20. Jara-Diaz, Sergio, 2024. "The value(s) of travel time savings considering in-vehicle activities," Transportation Research Part A: Policy and Practice, Elsevier, vol. 184(C).
    21. 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.
    22. 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.
    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. Van Acker, Veronique & Cornet, Yannick & Milakis, Dimitris & Malichová, Eva & Ojeda-Cabral, Manuel, 2025. "Understanding worthwhile travel time: An empirical study of travel experiences across transport modes," Transportation Research Part A: Policy and Practice, Elsevier, vol. 192(C).
    2. Zarabi, Zahra & Waygood, E. Owen D. & Olsson, Lars & Friman, Margareta & Gousse-Lessard, Anne-Sophie, 2024. "Enhancing public transport use: The influence of soft pull interventions," Transport Policy, Elsevier, vol. 153(C), pages 190-203.
    3. de Sá, Ana Luiza S. & Lavieri, Patrícia Sauri & Pawlak, Jacek, 2025. "Examining the determinants of travel time use and the transfer of activities into trips," Transportation Research Part A: Policy and Practice, Elsevier, vol. 195(C).
    4. Jinhyun Hong & David Philip McArthur & Mark Livingston, 2019. "Can Accessing the Internet while Travelling Encourage Commuters to Use Public Transport Regardless of Their Attitude?," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 11(12), pages 1-10, June.
    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. 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.
    7. 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.
    8. 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.
    9. 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.
    10. Le, Huyen T.K. & Buehler, Ralph & Fan, Yingling & Hankey, Steve, 2020. "Expanding the positive utility of travel through weeklong tracking: Within-person and multi-environment variability of ideal travel time," Journal of Transport Geography, Elsevier, vol. 84(C).
    11. Wheatley, Daniel, 2014. "Travel-to-work and subjective well-being: A study of UK dual career households," Journal of Transport Geography, Elsevier, vol. 39(C), pages 187-196.
    12. Sun, Shanshan & Wong, Yiik Diew, 2023. "Drivers’ attention economy and adoption to autonomous vehicle," Transport Policy, Elsevier, vol. 138(C), pages 108-118.
    13. Ben-Elia, Eran & Alexander, Bayarma & Hubers, Christa & Ettema, Dick, 2014. "Activity fragmentation, ICT and travel: An exploratory Path Analysis of spatiotemporal interrelationships," Transportation Research Part A: Policy and Practice, Elsevier, vol. 68(C), pages 56-74.
    14. Ye, Runing & De Vos, Jonas & Ma, Liang, 2020. "Analysing the association of dissonance between actual and ideal commute time and commute satisfaction," Transportation Research Part A: Policy and Practice, Elsevier, vol. 132(C), pages 47-60.
    15. Cohen-Blankshtain, Galit, 2021. "On another track: Differing views of experts and politicians on rail investments in peripheral localities," Journal of Transport Geography, Elsevier, vol. 95(C).
    16. Huda, Fuad Yasin & Currie, Graham & Pimenta, Allan & Kamruzzaman, Liton (Md), 2025. "Valuing driverless commuting – Downtown parking impacts," Transport Policy, Elsevier, vol. 173(C).
    17. Vale, David S., 2013. "Does commuting time tolerance impede sustainable urban mobility? Analysing the impacts on commuting behaviour as a result of workplace relocation to a mixed-use centre in Lisbon," Journal of Transport Geography, Elsevier, vol. 32(C), pages 38-48.
    18. Chakrabarti, Sandip, 2022. "Passively wait for gridlock, or proactively invest in service? Strategies to promote car-to-transit switches among aspirational urbanites in rapidly developing contexts," Transport Policy, Elsevier, vol. 115(C), pages 251-261.
    19. Ettema, Dick & Friman, Margareta & Gärling, Tommy & Olsson, Lars E. & Fujii, Satoshi, 2012. "How in-vehicle activities affect work commuters’ satisfaction with public transport," Journal of Transport Geography, Elsevier, vol. 24(C), pages 215-222.
    20. Hirte, Georg & Laes, Renée & Gerike, Regine, 2023. "Working from self-driving cars," Transportation Research Part A: Policy and Practice, Elsevier, vol. 176(C).

    More about this item

    Keywords

    ;
    ;
    ;
    ;
    ;

    Statistics

    Access and download statistics

    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:204:y:2026:i:c:s0965856425004732. 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.