Children’s and parents’ modal choice when commuting to school and air pollution burden: Is there a healthier way?

Urban transportation choices significantly influence personal air pollution exposure, especially for vulnerable populations such as children. This study investigates the determinants of parental decisions regarding children’s school commuting modes and analyses the resulting differences in personal exposure to PM2.5. Using child-level mobile monitoring of air pollution (10,370 observations from 151 children in Brno, Czech Republic) and complementary parent questionnaire data (N = 267, including 114 parents of monitored children and 153 parents in a comparison group), we applied multinomial logistic regression and mixed-effects models to examine how socio-economic characteristics, mobility preferences, and environmental awareness shape mode choice and air quality exposure. Results show that active and public transport modes are associated with higher PM2.5 exposure compared to car travel, particularly during winter. Practical and lifestyle factors rather than environmental attitudes were the main drivers of parental mode choice. Parents who valued physical activity were more likely to select active travel options, whereas those prioritising speed tended to rely on car or public transport. Additionally, we examined alternative routes for walking, cycling, and scooter commuting, demonstrating that, in suitable cases, cumulative exposure can be reduced by 0.4% to 25.6% (median 7.0%), supporting the potential benefits of targeted policy measures.