Five minutes more or less : Understanding the travel time experience in public transport
(2026) In Transportation Research, Part A: Policy and Practice 204.- Abstract (Swedish)
- This study examines how public transport passengers experience and use travel time and under what conditions they are particularly concerned about shorter travel time. Using a survey of Swedish public transport users and a follow-up focus group, we compare current patterns with a similar 2009 study. Findings indicate a slight decline in perceived value of travel time, coinciding with a marked reduction in working and studying during travel and a rise in passive and entertainment-oriented activities, likely linked to the substantially expanded availability of digital content. While our results confirm the findings of previous studies regarding the role of meaningful activities in shaping perceptions of travel time, they also suggest that... (More)
- This study examines how public transport passengers experience and use travel time and under what conditions they are particularly concerned about shorter travel time. Using a survey of Swedish public transport users and a follow-up focus group, we compare current patterns with a similar 2009 study. Findings indicate a slight decline in perceived value of travel time, coinciding with a marked reduction in working and studying during travel and a rise in passive and entertainment-oriented activities, likely linked to the substantially expanded availability of digital content. While our results confirm the findings of previous studies regarding the role of meaningful activities in shaping perceptions of travel time, they also suggest that the digital revolution has not amplified this effect as much as anticipated. Furthermore, regression analyses show that concern for shorter travel time peaks at moderate durations (30–45 min) and varies by age, public transport experience, and travel conditions. However, despite incorporating numerous explanatory variables, the explanatory power of the model remained modest, suggesting that these preferences are influenced by factors that are challenging to operationalise quantitatively. Our qualitative findings support this interpretation, indicating that attitudes toward travel time savings were often tied to perceived speed and journey smoothness rather than the actual time saved. (Less)
Please use this url to cite or link to this publication:
https://lup.lub.lu.se/record/fa9b96e8-85d5-4b30-b2c5-4ab3c048e32e
- author
- Hansson, Joel LU ; Persson, Andreas LU and Svensson, Helena LU
- organization
- publishing date
- 2026
- type
- Contribution to journal
- publication status
- published
- subject
- in
- Transportation Research, Part A: Policy and Practice
- volume
- 204
- article number
- 104840
- pages
- 19 pages
- publisher
- Elsevier
- ISSN
- 0965-8564
- DOI
- 10.1016/j.tra.2025.104840
- project
- One minute more or less – deepened understanding of the importance of travel time
- language
- Swedish
- LU publication?
- yes
- id
- fa9b96e8-85d5-4b30-b2c5-4ab3c048e32e
- date added to LUP
- 2025-12-17 13:21:07
- date last changed
- 2025-12-19 15:00:53
@article{fa9b96e8-85d5-4b30-b2c5-4ab3c048e32e,
abstract = {{This study examines how public transport passengers experience and use travel time and under what conditions they are particularly concerned about shorter travel time. Using a survey of Swedish public transport users and a follow-up focus group, we compare current patterns with a similar 2009 study. Findings indicate a slight decline in perceived value of travel time, coinciding with a marked reduction in working and studying during travel and a rise in passive and entertainment-oriented activities, likely linked to the substantially expanded availability of digital content. While our results confirm the findings of previous studies regarding the role of meaningful activities in shaping perceptions of travel time, they also suggest that the digital revolution has not amplified this effect as much as anticipated. Furthermore, regression analyses show that concern for shorter travel time peaks at moderate durations (30–45 min) and varies by age, public transport experience, and travel conditions. However, despite incorporating numerous explanatory variables, the explanatory power of the model remained modest, suggesting that these preferences are influenced by factors that are challenging to operationalise quantitatively. Our qualitative findings support this interpretation, indicating that attitudes toward travel time savings were often tied to perceived speed and journey smoothness rather than the actual time saved.}},
author = {{Hansson, Joel and Persson, Andreas and Svensson, Helena}},
issn = {{0965-8564}},
language = {{swe}},
publisher = {{Elsevier}},
series = {{Transportation Research, Part A: Policy and Practice}},
title = {{Five minutes more or less : Understanding the travel time experience in public transport}},
url = {{http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.tra.2025.104840}},
doi = {{10.1016/j.tra.2025.104840}},
volume = {{204}},
year = {{2026}},
}