Exploring Factors Influencing Car Use Behavior And BRT Choice In The Context Of Senegal Using A Bayesian Network

One of the main challenges for today’s society is to achieve proper planning and implementation of a transport system that meets the needs of users and is self-sustaining.The needs of people are closely linked to social and economic interaction.The objective of the research is to evaluate the factors that influence mode choice when commuting and the perception of BRT mass transit systems based on social welfare and land use in the system’s area of influence.This analysis is carried out through the formulation of structural equation models that relate sociodemographic characteristics of the individual,latent variables raised at the level of the environment and social norm,and indicators of some trip characteristics that may influence the choice of a transport mode.A rule-based approach based on Bayesian networks is proposed to capture the non-linear effects of related factors on individuals’mode choice behavior.To estimate these factors,econometric models of the multinomial logit type were used.Based on the information collected through an online survey of the type of revealed preferences and declared preferences,the behavior of users in hypothetical situations is studied.The attributes of the modes of travel time,waiting time,cost and distance to the station;as well as the socioeconomic characteristics of the individual,such as income level,occupation,and car ownership were placed as a reference.The model’s results reveal that gender,monthly income,trip purpose,travel distance and travel cost have a significant effect on the choice.With the results obtained,it will be possible to have more insight into the population’s behavior that can be taken into account to improve the situation of public transport in the city.