The determinants of commuting mode choice among school children in Beijing

•Modal choice is an indicator of social exclusion among school children in Beijing.•Children in different social environments experience modal split.•Children from low-income households have lower level of motorized mobility.•The population policies set institutional constraints to mobility of migrant children.•Education polices are important determinants of school children’s modal choice in Beijing.

This study explores the determinants of travel mode choice for journeys to school by students aged 13–15 in Beijing. The descriptive and regression outcomes show that there is a spatial diversity in travel patterns across the city. Students who live in the suburban areas travel longer distances than those who live in the core centre of the city, where most of the good-quality schools are located. In the core area, for students whose school is within 3 km of home, cycling is more popular than other modes. For students who must travel further than 3 km, there is a significant modal split between households with different socioeconomic status and car ownership. Among the most influential factors, policy factors such as the population policy of China and the impact of education policy on different social groups tend to make the determinants of school children’s commuting mode choice more complicated.