Activity-based travel behavior modeling of dormitory students

• An activity-based model is built for dormitory students to understand the factors that influence their travel behavior. • Mixed multinomial logit model was also used to take individual taste variation into consideration. • Student’s daily activity pattern is a function of his/her characteristics, class schedule, and activities when he/she present at the dormitory. • Student’s tour duration choice is largely dependent on the duration of his/her daily classes. • Student’s destination choice depends on the location of the university, dormitory and central business district at a specific zone. To date, extensive studies have been conducted on the urban travel behavior of individuals, while the travel behavior of special trip generators, such as dormitory students, has rarely been addressed despite their significant role in urban travel demand. The purpose of this study is to provide an activity-based model for dormitory students to understand the factors that influence students' travel demand and behavior. To this end, questionnaires were distributed among students living in the dormitories of Imam Khomeini International University on May 28, 2018. Finally, an activity-based model at twelve levels was proposed and built using activity-travel information of 336 students. Each level was constructed through standard and mixed multinomial logit models. The study results show that the daily activity pattern, in addition to individual characteristics, is a function of class schedule, friends and roommates’ activities, and the individual’s activities when present at the dormitory. Furthermore, the levels of tour duration choice are mainly dependent on the duration of each person’s daily classes that have been held. The levels of travel mode choice also depend on the time and cost of travel and their mode choice in previous activities. Additionally, it is indicated that destination levels mostly depend on the location of the university, dormitory, and central business district at a specific zone. This study concludes that students’ activity-based model, in addition to socioeconomic factors, is a function of some policy-making factors that can be used for improving students’ commutation in the city.