Commuters route choice behaviour

• Published in: Games and economic behavior Vol. 58; no. 2; pp. 394 - 406
• Main Authors: Selten, R., Chmura, T., Pitz, T., Kube, S., Schreckenberg, M.
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Duluth Elsevier Inc 01.02.2007; Elsevier; Academic Press
• Series: Games and Economic Behavior
• Subjects: Commuting; Correlation analysis; Day-to-day route choice; Economic behaviour; Information; Information in intelligent transportation systems; Laboratory experiments; Pay-off; Payoff sum model; Payoffs; Route choice; Studies; Travel; Travel behaviour; Travel behaviour; C88; Day-to-day route choice; Payoff sum model; C15; Information in intelligent transportation systems; C91; C92; Laboratory experiments; D83; R41; R40
• ISSN: 0899-8256; 1090-2473
• DOI: 10.1016/j.geb.2006.03.012

The paper reports laboratory experiments with a two route choice scenario. In each session 18 subjects had to choose between a main road M and a side road S. The capacity of M was larger. Feedback was given in treatment I only on the subjects' own travel time and in treatment II on travel time for M and S. The main results are as follows: • Mean numbers on M and S are near to pure equilibrium. • Fluctuations persist until the end of the sessions. • The total number of changes is significantly greater in treatment I. • Subjects' road changes and payoffs are negatively correlated. • A direct response mode results in more changes for bad payoffs whereas a contrary response mode shows opposite reactions. • Simulations of an extended payoff sum learning model fits the main results of the statistical evaluation of the data.