National Center for Sustainable Transportation

Prior studies of travel mode choice in airport ground transportation identified several important relationships between traveler/trip attributes and the selected ground access mode(s). However, those studies did not comprehensively account for qualitative aspects of ground access mode choice, such as general and transportation-specific attitudes and perceptions of mode-specific airport infrastructure. To add insights into air travelers’ ground transportation choices, this study collected a dataset with a survey administered among travelers using four major airports in Northern California in the post-pandemic era.Among the analyses presented in the report, airport ground access mode choice was analyzed, and its relationships with travelers’ socio-demographics, attitudes toward transportation and related topics (e.g., environmental friendliness), and opinions about transportation infrastructure and services (e.g., airport parking fees). The authors identified relationships between air travelers’ attitudes or opinions and their mode choice not examined in prior studies. Specifically, travelers with pro-environment attitudes preferred public transit and ridehailing services over private vehicles. Travelers are more likely to choose public transit often if they highly rate its service frequency and accessibility from their home to a nearby station. The results suggest policymakers, airport authorities, and transit agencies consider electrification of ridehailing fleets, expansion of bus and rail service availability, and higher parking fees to reduce driving in private vehicles to the airport. 

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