The impact of travel information’s accuracy on route-choice

Advanced Travel Information Systems (ATISs) are designed to assist travellers in making better travel choices by providing pre-trip and en-route information such as travel times on the relevant alternatives. Travellers’ choices are likely to be sensitive to the accuracy of the provided information in addition to travel time uncertainty. A route-choice experiment with 36 participants, involving 20 repetitions under three different levels of information accuracy was conducted to investigate the impact of information accuracy. In each experiment respondents had to choose one of three routes (risky, useless and reliable). Provided information included descriptive information about the average estimated travel times for each route, prescriptive information regarding the suggested route and experiential feedback information about the actual travel times on all routes. Aggregate analysis using non-parametric statistics and disaggregate analysis using a mixed logit choice model were applied. The results suggest decreasing accuracy shifts choices mainly from the riskier to the reliable route but also to the useless alternative. Prescriptive information has the largest behavioural impact followed by descriptive and experiential feedback information. Risk attitudes also seem to play a role. The implications for ATIS design and future research are further discussed.

► Travellers’ choices are sensitive to the accuracy of travel information in addition to travel time uncertainty.
► A route-choice experiment under three different levels of information accuracy was conducted.
► Provided information included descriptive, prescriptive and post-choice experiential information.
► Decreasing accuracy shifts choices from riskier to more reliable routes but also to a useless alternative.
► Prescriptive information has the greatest behavioural impact followed by descriptive and experiential feedback information.