Worthwhile travel time: a conceptual framework of the perceived value of enjoyment, productivity and fitness while travelling

Abstract

By tradition, transport appraisal relies primarily on travel time savings and monetary values. Assessment tools rarely factor in the perspective of travellers in terms of their subjective travel experience while on the move. Worthwhile travel time introduces the idea that travel can be pleasant, meaningful or worthwhile and not exclusively associated with the economic utility of the activity at the destination of the trip and the work-related productivity during the trip. This paper explores how the "worthwhile use of travel time" can be conceptualised and unpacked, so that it can be adequately captured and integrated into transport appraisal practice. We reviewed the literature on worthwhile travel time and perceived travel experience in psychology, economics, public health and travel behaviour research and we formulated the conceptual framework of worthwhile travel time that is grounded on the traveller's perception of three forms of value emerging from existing literature: enjoyment, productivity, and health. Our conceptual framework of worthwhile travel time suggests that experience factors (i.e. travel conditions as experienced by the traveller) can enable travel activities (i.e. the trip itself or activities on-themove), which in turn unlock the values of enjoyment, productivity and fitness that influence the perceived worthwhileness of a trip to a different degree each. Additional (explanatory) factors such as the door-to-door trip characteristics, the traveller's personal characteristics and attitude, and the spatial and temporal conditions can also influence the perceived worthwhileness of a trip. On a policy level, the integration of the worthwhile travel time concept into transport appraisal practice could allow future transport investments to offer a better balance between reduced travel times and improved quality and experience of a trip for the traveller.

Factors influencing the perceived value of travel time in European urban areas

“…The perceived WTT experienced by a traveller across different travel modes can be measured according to three main types of value, which we refer to as worthwhileness elements: productivity, enjoyment, and fitness (Cornet et al 2021;Basile et al 2020). Productivity is related to the possibility of utilising time during travel to complete personal or work-related tasks.…”

“…Despite a substantial share of research on travel satisfaction, most studies have focused on general impacts of subjective well-being either by rating travel satisfaction (Abou-Zeid 2009) or by measuring the subjective evaluation of transport performance (Gao et al 2017). Yet, little attention has been paid in exploring the influence of the perceived travel experience on users' level of satisfaction with travel time in terms of worthwhileness of travel time (WTT), considered as a subjective, qualitative judgment of the value of travel time (Cornet et al 2021). In this study, WTT across various transport modes available in European urban areas is explored.…”

Commuting to work post-pandemic: Opportunities for health?

“…Among the potential benefits of commuting, commutes may provide workers with some personal time and time to transition from work to home (Cornet et al, 2021;Ory et al, 2004). However, pre-pandemic, commuting to work was a chronic activity that, for many, was sedentary with the potential for stress.…”

Promoting Sustainable Mobility: To What Extent Is “Health” Considered by Mobility App Studies? A Review and a Conceptual Framework

“…Secondly, it has to be considered that the here proposed protection motivation has to compete with other motivations to change behavior, e.g., the cost-efficient motivation (Figure 4). Traditional utility theories argue that travel mode and route choices are based on travel cost, time and effort (among others) [75,76] and longer travel times can decrease travel satisfaction [77]. However, recent studies argue that varying experience factors (e.g., directness, reliability congestion, comfort or even noise, scenery and weather) promote travel activities and influence perceived value of travel time [76].…”

“…Traditional utility theories argue that travel mode and route choices are based on travel cost, time and effort (among others) [75,76] and longer travel times can decrease travel satisfaction [77]. However, recent studies argue that varying experience factors (e.g., directness, reliability congestion, comfort or even noise, scenery and weather) promote travel activities and influence perceived value of travel time [76]. As for mode choice, noninstrumental factors are also decisive, such as symbolic or affective motives (e.g., for car use) or environmental factors (e.g., weather, land use) and psychological factors (e.g., attitudes, social norms) for cyclists [75,78].…”