Urban Context and Travel Experience Events: An Exploratory Comparison of Two German Cities

Abstract

The presented study investigates events influencing public transportation experience in both urban (Hamburg) and rural (Tuttlingen) areas in Germany, with the aim of identifying events that affect travel experience and as a result travel behavior. Using a mobile application, 21 participants in Tuttlingen and 70 participants in Hamburg tracked everyday trips, providing real-time evaluations of travel experiences along with situational data. Multi-level regression analyses were applied to assess the impact of events such as punctuality, capacity offer, information about public transportation and others on the ontrip experience. Results indicate that a sufficient public transportation capacity offer has the strongest positive effect in Tuttlingen, whereas a lack of punctuality and low personal well-being have the strongest negative effects. In Hamburg, a lack of punctuality and a negative information event have the largest impacts. These identified effects provide a foundation for decision-making and measures to improve local public transportation.