What Advanced Traveler Information System Information Do Users Want? Evidence from In-Vehicle Navigation Device Users

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Abstract
Findings from research into user preferences for enhanced travel information disseminated to the drivers of private vehicles are reported. The research is based on trade-off surveys of three small populations in the Seattle, Chicago, and Boston metropolitan regions who had had significant hands-on experience with vehicles equipped with dynamic invehicle navigation (IVN) units in prior field operational tests. It was found that the structure of consumers’ preferences was similar across the three surveys. The analysis indicates that, at least in a familiar commuting context, users are split in their opinions whether they prefer to receive routing advice or simply advice about traffic delays to inform their own routing decisions. More people prefer the latter, although this is less pronounced for women than for men. Geographical coverage of routes and the frequency of information updates were found to be significantly important attributes of IVN information. The results also indicate diminishing returns in user values for information improvement. At least at this stage of market development, respondents valued the basic enhancements in coverage and update frequency more than they valued further refinements.

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