Off the beaten track : subjective reliability, satisfaction and reconsideration of commuting by public transport (n=1). Much of our travel behaviour is repetitive. Through repetition we develop behavioural patterns and our travel behaviour becomes inert, insensitive to changes in circumstances. That is, unless the change concerns our chosen alternative and is substantial. Satisfaction with the chosen alternative is therefore crucial in understanding why people persist in (or just quit) established behavioural patterns. Satisfaction with public transport services is strongly related to subjective reliability and critical incidents in service provision. If a person's cumulative dissatisfaction is high enough it will lead to reconsideration of travel behaviour, even of inert behaviour. This report is based on participant observation and describes such an individual process. (Author/publisher)
Abstract