The Commuting Experience: An Analysis of Physiological and Experience Sampling Data During Multimodal Travel

Kurzfassung

This study examines the influence of psycho-physiological factors on the commuting experience with public transport. While previous research mainly focused on travel time and cost, this study aims to explore three research questions: What are the common events during the commute? How does self-reported travel experience and cardiological data vary between different modes of transportation? How does context data, such as temperature, wind speed and acceleration affect the commuting experience? Ten participants were equipped with a wearable ECG sensor to collect cardiological and acceleration data, and an app to collect self-report and location data during their commute on three fixed routes. Participants were asked to report their stress levels, travel-related satisfaction, and travel-independent affect every 3.5 minutes. Specific events that influenced the commuting experience and the current mode of travel were also reported. In total, 294 events were reported during the study period. These events are categorized providing a basis for future studies. Self-report and cardiological data hint towards differences between modes, with the bus being the most stressfully perceived mode of transportation. Weak correlations between acceleration, stress and travel satisfaction, and between temperature and travel satisfaction were found. The study sheds light on common events during commuting and points towards differences in the commuting experience between modes and different contextual influences. The study provides a starting point for integrating psychophysiological aspects into mobility research.