Assessing Air Mobility Adoption for Regional Travel in India

Abstract: The regional travel landscape in India is undergoing significant transformation due to urbanization, technological progress, and shifts in consumer preferences. A nation that predominantly used the railways for intercity travel is now witnessing a change in regional travel patterns as new highways and expressways are being built, new regional airports being made operational, and also improvements in the passenger rail sector being implemented. This study analyzes the intricacies of regional mobility, and estimates the demand for various modes of regional travel. The research offers actionable insights to improve regional connections by examining user acceptance, behavioral dynamics, and socio-economic factors. Two critical corridors—the Mumbai–Pune and Delhi–Lucknow—were chosen for this examination, as they currently witness a strong travel demand with multiple travel choices available. A pseudo-Delphi method was employed to rank the factors, based on inputs from 24 experts, influencing intercity mode choice. These factors were then prioritized using the Technique for Order of Preference by Similarity to Ideal Solution (TOPSIS) Multi-Criteria Decision-Making (MCDM) technique. Subsequently a questionnaire was designed for a combined Revealed Preference (RP) and Stated-Preference (SP) survey. A total of 520 samples were collected, 506 of which were valid responses, and were used for further investigation. The study develops a Mixed Multinomial Logit (MMNL) model, to estimate the impact of indicator variables including household vehicle ownership, trip frequency, accessibility, and travel cost on mode choice behavior. The joint RP-SP approach provides a more holistic view of travel behavior by capturing real-world decisions and responses to hypothetical scenarios. The survey results show considerable heterogeneity in regional transportation preferences in India. Cars account for 35% of travel, followed by semi high-speed rail (SHSR) at 20%, other express trains at 17%, buses at 20%, and airlines at 7%. Demographic factors including age, gender, income, and education strongly influence mode choice. The analysis reveals that younger cohorts (18-24) demonstrate a higher propensity for choosing buses, express trains, and SHSR, compared to older age groups (55-64), which could be attributed to factors such as cost sensitivity and greater flexibility in travel preferences. Conversely, individuals aged (55-64) are less likely to opt for buses, indicating a stronger preference for modes prioritizing comfort and convenience. Additionally, bus is likely to be chosen by users of various income groups, while airline, SHSR, and car are more likely to be chosen by high income individuals. Lastly, if the trip is of short duration (returning the same day), users are more likely to choose airlines, followed by SHSR, and car. At the same time, airline trips are quite infrequent (once a year). The study findings suggest that regional travel options are on the rise, which is leading to users choosing modes based on their preferences. Many such choices may lead to a rise in energy needs and increasing safety concerns, which must be addressed proactively.