IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/eee/transa/v210y2026ics0965856426001862.html

Exploring the relationship between accessibility and travel satisfaction in remote and challenging terrain of Tibet, China

Author

Listed:
  • Dai, Teqi
  • Guo, Kaifei
  • Jiang, Huaxiong
  • Wang, Jiao’e

Abstract

The Qinghai-Tibet Plateau region is characterized by its rugged terrain, harsh climatic conditions, and relatively underdeveloped transportation infrastructure. Despite its geographical uniqueness, limited research has been conducted on the daily travel behavior and satisfaction from the local residents’ perspective. This study aims to fill the gap and explore the relationship between perceived and calculated accessibility, based on road and facility data, and residents’ travel satisfaction in Tibet Autonomous Region, China. A questionnaire was developed to collect data from 756 respondents, capturing their perceptions of daily travel behavior and travel quality. The findings reveal strong associations between both perceived and calculated accessibility and travel satisfaction, with perceived accessibility showing stronger associations compared to calculated accessibility. Additionally, road comfortability and altitude in travel environment variables are also significantly associated with travel satisfaction. The study reveals noteworthy threshold effects in the calculated accessibility to daily services (such as schools, hospitals, grocery stores, leisure and recreation places, and religious places), wherein the association with travel satisfaction shifts from positive to negative, emphasizing significant implications for the future planning and construction of transportation in remote areas. This study contributes to existing research by shedding light on the relationship between accessibility and travel satisfaction in remote and poorly accessible regions. With the growing recognition of travel satisfaction and its influencing factors, accessibility proves to be a valuable indicator for enhancing travelers’ cognitive evaluation of travel quality.

Suggested Citation

  • Dai, Teqi & Guo, Kaifei & Jiang, Huaxiong & Wang, Jiao’e, 2026. "Exploring the relationship between accessibility and travel satisfaction in remote and challenging terrain of Tibet, China," Transportation Research Part A: Policy and Practice, Elsevier, vol. 210(C).
    • Handle: RePEc:eee:transa:v:210:y:2026:i:c:s0965856426001862
    DOI: 10.1016/j.tra.2026.105045
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0965856426001862
    Download Restriction: Full text for ScienceDirect subscribers only
    File URL: https://libkey.io/10.1016/j.tra.2026.105045?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. Mehdizadeh, Milad & Kroesen, Maarten, 2025. "Does perceived accessibility affect travel behavior or vice versa? Alternative theories testing bidirectional effects and (in)consistency over time," Transportation Research Part A: Policy and Practice, Elsevier, vol. 191(C).
    2. Xingchuan Gao & Dongqi Sun, 2021. "Transport accessibility and social demand: A case study of the Tibetan Plateau," PLOS ONE, Public Library of Science, vol. 16(9), pages 1-19, September.
    3. Reid Ewing & Robert Cervero, 2010. "Travel and the Built Environment," Journal of the American Planning Association, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 76(3), pages 265-294.
    4. Zhao, Pengjun & Yu, Zhao, 2021. "Rural poverty and mobility in China: A national-level survey," Journal of Transport Geography, Elsevier, vol. 93(C).
    5. Awaworyi Churchill, Sefa & Smyth, Russell, 2019. "Transport poverty and subjective wellbeing," Transportation Research Part A: Policy and Practice, Elsevier, vol. 124(C), pages 40-54.
    6. Katrin Lättman & Margareta Friman & Lars E. Olsson, 2016. "Perceived Accessibility of Public Transport as a Potential Indicator of Social Inclusion," Social Inclusion, Cogitatio Press, vol. 4(3), pages 36-45.
    7. Eriksson, Lars & Friman, Margareta & Gärling, Tommy, 2013. "Perceived attributes of bus and car mediating satisfaction with the work commute," Transportation Research Part A: Policy and Practice, Elsevier, vol. 47(C), pages 87-96.
    8. Yu, Zhao & Zhao, Pengjun, 2021. "The factors in residents' mobility in rural towns of China: Car ownership, road infrastructure and public transport services," Journal of Transport Geography, Elsevier, vol. 91(C).
    9. Yanan Gao & Soora Rasouli & Harry Timmermans & Yuanqing Wang, 2024. "A latent class structural equation model of the relationship between travel satisfaction and overall life satisfaction controlling for satisfaction with other life domains," Transportation, Springer, vol. 51(1), pages 193-213, February.
    10. Negm, Hisham & De Vos, Jonas & Pot, Felix & El-Geneidy, Ahmed, 2025. "Perceived accessibility: A literature review," Journal of Transport Geography, Elsevier, vol. 125(C).
    11. Wang, Fenglong & Mao, Zidan & Wang, Donggen, 2020. "Residential relocation and travel satisfaction change: An empirical study in Beijing, China," Transportation Research Part A: Policy and Practice, Elsevier, vol. 135(C), pages 341-353.
    12. 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.
    13. Jason Cao & Dick Ettema, 2014. "Satisfaction with travel and residential self-selection: How do preferences moderate the impact of the Hiawatha Light Rail Transit line?," The Journal of Transport and Land Use, Center for Transportation Studies, University of Minnesota, vol. 7(3), pages 93-108.
    14. Sun, Bindong & Liu, Jiahang & Yin, Chun & Cao, Jason, 2022. "Residential and workplace neighborhood environments and life satisfaction: Exploring chain-mediation effects of activity and place satisfaction," Journal of Transport Geography, Elsevier, vol. 104(C).
    15. Olfindo, Rosechin, 2021. "Transport accessibility, residential satisfaction, and moving intention in a context of limited travel mode choice," Transportation Research Part A: Policy and Practice, Elsevier, vol. 145(C), pages 153-166.
    16. Pot, Felix Johan & van Wee, Bert & Tillema, Taede, 2021. "Perceived accessibility: What it is and why it differs from calculated accessibility measures based on spatial data," Journal of Transport Geography, Elsevier, vol. 94(C).
    17. Stradling, Stephen G. & Anable, Jillian & Carreno, Michael, 2007. "Performance, importance and user disgruntlement: A six-step method for measuring satisfaction with travel modes," Transportation Research Part A: Policy and Practice, Elsevier, vol. 41(1), pages 98-106, January.
    18. Susilo, Yusak O. & Cats, Oded, 2014. "Exploring key determinants of travel satisfaction for multi-modal trips by different traveler groups," Transportation Research Part A: Policy and Practice, Elsevier, vol. 67(C), pages 366-380.
    19. Huiran Han & Kai Yang & Chengfeng Yang & Gang Yang & Lingyi Xu, 2022. "Influence and Mechanism of a Multi-Scale Built Environment on the Leisure Activities of the Elderly: Evidence from Hefei City in China," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 19(15), pages 1-24, July.
    20. Xingchuan Gao & Tao Li & Xiaoshu Cao, 2019. "Spatial Fairness and Changes in Transport Infrastructure in the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau Area from 1976 to 2016," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 11(3), pages 1-16, January.
    21. Smith, Noel & Hirsch, Donald & Davis, Abigail, 2012. "Accessibility and capability: the minimum transport needs and costs of rural households," Journal of Transport Geography, Elsevier, vol. 21(C), pages 93-101.
    22. Ettema, Dick & Gärling, Tommy & Olsson, Lars E. & Friman, Margareta, 2010. "Out-of-home activities, daily travel, and subjective well-being," Transportation Research Part A: Policy and Practice, Elsevier, vol. 44(9), pages 723-732, November.
    23. Elmira Jamei & Melissa Chan & Hing Wah Chau & Eric Gaisie & Katrin Lättman, 2022. "Perceived Accessibility and Key Influencing Factors in Transportation," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 14(17), pages 1-22, August.
    24. Yuan, Dandan & Zhao, Pengjun & Yu, Zhao & Liu, Qiyang, 2023. "Villagers' travel burden and the built environment in rural China: Evidence from a national level survey," Journal of Transport Geography, Elsevier, vol. 113(C).
    25. Katrin Lättman & Margareta Friman & Lars E. Olsson, 2016. "Perceived Accessibility of Public Transport as a Potential Indicator of Social Inclusion," Social Inclusion, Cogitatio Press, vol. 4(3), pages 36-45.
    26. Lars Olsson & Tommy Gärling & Dick Ettema & Margareta Friman & Satoshi Fujii, 2013. "Happiness and Satisfaction with Work Commute," Social Indicators Research: An International and Interdisciplinary Journal for Quality-of-Life Measurement, Springer, vol. 111(1), pages 255-263, March.
    27. Jason Cao, 2013. "The association between light rail transit and satisfactions with travel and life: evidence from Twin Cities," Transportation, Springer, vol. 40(5), pages 921-933, September.
    28. Majumdar, Bandhan Bandhu & Jayakumar, Malavika & Sahu, Prasanta K. & Potoglou, Dimitris, 2021. "Identification of key determinants of travel satisfaction for developing policy instrument to improve quality of life: An analysis of commuting in Delhi," Transport Policy, Elsevier, vol. 110(C), pages 281-292.
    29. Gang Cheng & Leishan Guo & Tao Zhang, 2022. "Spatial Equity Assessment of Bus Travel Behavior for Pilgrimage: Evidence from Lhasa, Tibet, China," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 14(17), pages 1-15, August.
    30. Pot, Felix Johan & Koster, Sierdjan & Tillema, Taede, 2023. "Perceived accessibility in Dutch rural areas: Bridging the gap with accessibility based on spatial data," Transport Policy, Elsevier, vol. 138(C), pages 170-184.
    31. Gang Cheng & Shuzhi Zhao & Di Huang, 2018. "Understanding the Effects of Improving Transportation on Pilgrim Travel Behavior: Evidence from the Lhasa, Tibet, China," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 10(10), pages 1-13, October.
    32. De Vos, Jonas & Witlox, Frank, 2017. "Travel satisfaction revisited. On the pivotal role of travel satisfaction in conceptualising a travel behaviour process," Transportation Research Part A: Policy and Practice, Elsevier, vol. 106(C), pages 364-373.
    33. De Vos, Jonas & Pot, Felix & van Lierop, Dea & El-Geneidy, Ahmed, 2025. "Perceived accessibility: An introduction," Transportation Research Part A: Policy and Practice, Elsevier, vol. 199(C).
    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. Rimpi Baro & K. V. Krishna Rao & Nagendra R. Velaga, 2026. "Exploring travel wellbeing and quality of life interaction among commuters in a heterogeneous urban region," Transportation, Springer, vol. 53(4), pages 2513-2538, August.
    2. Guan, Xiaodong & Wang, Donggen, 2024. "Examining the roles of transport captivity and travel dissonance in travel satisfaction," Transportation Research Part A: Policy and Practice, Elsevier, vol. 182(C).
    3. Liu, Qiyang & Zhe, Tao, 2026. "Mapping the evolution of transport justice research: A structural topic modelling approach," Transport Policy, Elsevier, vol. 175(C).
    4. Dong Wei & Xiaoshu Cao & Miaomiao Wang, 2019. "What Determines the Psychological Well-Being during Commute in Xi’an: The Role of Built Environment, Travel Attitude, and Travel Characteristics," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 11(5), pages 1-21, March.
    5. Wang, Fenglong & Mao, Zidan & Wang, Donggen, 2020. "Residential relocation and travel satisfaction change: An empirical study in Beijing, China," Transportation Research Part A: Policy and Practice, Elsevier, vol. 135(C), pages 341-353.
    6. De Vos, Jonas & Witlox, Frank, 2017. "Travel satisfaction revisited. On the pivotal role of travel satisfaction in conceptualising a travel behaviour process," Transportation Research Part A: Policy and Practice, Elsevier, vol. 106(C), pages 364-373.
    7. De Vos, Jonas & Mouratidis, Kostas & Cheng, Long & Kamruzzaman, Md., 2021. "Does a residential relocation enable satisfying travel?," Transportation Research Part A: Policy and Practice, Elsevier, vol. 153(C), pages 188-201.
    8. Hook, Hannah & De Vos, Jonas & Van Acker, Veronique & Witlox, Frank, 2021. "Do travel options influence how commute time satisfaction relates to the residential built environment?," Journal of Transport Geography, Elsevier, vol. 92(C).
    9. Geurs, Karst & van Wee, Bert, 2026. "A five-component conceptual model of calculated and perceived accessibility: Literature review and research directions," Journal of Transport Geography, Elsevier, vol. 134(C).
    10. Li, Shengxiao (Alex) & Guan, Xiaodong & Wang, Donggen, 2022. "How do constrained car ownership and car use influence travel and life satisfaction?," Transportation Research Part A: Policy and Practice, Elsevier, vol. 155(C), pages 202-218.
    11. Guan, Xiaodong & Israel, Fabian & An, Zihao & Heinen, Eva & Ettema, Dick, 2026. "Shared micro-mobility and travel satisfaction: a case study of three European countries," Transportation Research Part A: Policy and Practice, Elsevier, vol. 209(C).
    12. Dong, Wei & Wang, Naidi & Dong, Yu & Cao, Jason, 2025. "Examining the nonlinear and interactive effects of built environment characteristics on travel satisfaction," Journal of Transport Geography, Elsevier, vol. 123(C).
    13. Zhou, Meng & Guan, Xiaodong & Wang, Donggen, 2025. "Travel is not only a cost: How perceived travel benefits improve travel satisfaction?," Transportation Research Part A: Policy and Practice, Elsevier, vol. 197(C).
    14. Li, Hanyan & Ma, Jing & Tao, Sui, 2026. "Analyzing the effects of the transportation environment and green spaces on residents' satisfaction," Journal of Transport Geography, Elsevier, vol. 131(C).
    15. Baro, Rimpi & Rao, K.V. Krishna & Velaga, Nagendra R., 2025. "Dissecting gender differences in Commute wellbeing and Quality of life interaction in a developing country context," Research in Transportation Economics, Elsevier, vol. 112(C).
    16. De Vos, Jonas, 2024. "The ease of travel: A person-based measure of people’s ability to travel," Transportation Research Part A: Policy and Practice, Elsevier, vol. 187(C).
    17. Wu, Wenjie & Cao, Mengqiu & Wang, Fenglong & Wang, Ruoyu, 2024. "Nonlinear influences of landscape configurations and walking access to transit services on travel satisfaction," Transportation Research Part A: Policy and Practice, Elsevier, vol. 189(C).
    18. De Vos, Jonas, 2018. "Do people travel with their preferred travel mode? Analysing the extent of travel mode dissonance and its effect on travel satisfaction," Transportation Research Part A: Policy and Practice, Elsevier, vol. 117(C), pages 261-274.
    19. Van Acker, Veronique & Ho, Loan & Mulley, Corinne, 2021. "“Satisfaction lies in the effort”. Is Gandhi’s quote also true for satisfaction with commuting?," Transportation Research Part A: Policy and Practice, Elsevier, vol. 151(C), pages 214-227.
    20. Huang, Yan & Ma, Liang, 2026. "Compensating travel dissatisfaction in multimodal commuting: Role of community and job satisfaction," Journal of Transport Geography, Elsevier, vol. 131(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:210:y:2026:i:c:s0965856426001862. 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.