Determinants of elimination decisions in the activity scheduling process

Abstract

[EN] This paper presents an analysis on the determinants related to a particular rescheduling decision in the activity-travel scheduling process: elimination decisions, which consist in the non-execution of pre-planned activity-travel episodes. Data used come from an in-depth computer-assisted telephone interview (CATI) follow up survey carried out during the implementation of the first wave of an activity scheduling process panel survey. Open-ended answers related to the reasons associated to changes between pre-planned and executed agenda are studied. First, an interpretative qualitative method based on analytic induction (AI) is used to cope with the complex nature of the rescheduling decision under study and the characteristics of the available data. Then, econometric models are used to analyze factors influencing those decisions and complement the qualitative analysis. The detailed qualitative and quantitative study of those decisions has resulted in the identification of several reasons associated to the elimination of activity-travel episodes from the activity agenda. Factors influencing those reasons have been explored.