Modeling travel choices of students at a private, urban university: Insights and policy implications

•Discrete choice models are used to study the mode choice of AUB students.•Travel time, travel cost, income, auto ownership, gender, and residence location (whether within Municipal Beirut or not) are the main factors affecting students’ mode choice.•AUB students who come from wealthier families have a significantly higher value of time than the general population of Greater Beirut Area.•Providing an exclusive high-end shuttle service can be a promising strategy to encourage students to switch from car to public transport.

This study investigates differences between the mode choice patterns of students of the American University of Beirut (AUB) and the general population of the Greater Beirut Area. Discrete choice models are developed to model the choice among car, bus, and shared taxi (or jitney). It is found that travel time, cost, income, auto ownership, gender, and residence location (whether within Municipal Beirut or not) are the main factors affecting mode choice, and that AUB students who come from wealthier families have a significantly higher value of time than the general population. The models are used to forecast students’ commute mode shares under alternative scenarios to support the development of policies that would encourage students to switch toward more sustainable modes. It is found that increasing parking fees and decreasing bus travel time through the provision of shuttle services or taxi sharing could be promising strategies for mode switching from car to public transport for AUB students. The study contributes to the emerging literature on students’ travel patterns and its findings are particularly relevant in travel contexts characterized by high congestion levels, high auto ownership rates, and low quality public transport system.