Abstract
This experiment addressed the types of ATIS information travelers prefer to acquire, and how the information influenced route choice. Hypothetical trip scenarios provided information such as primary and alternative routes, time of day, current weather, trip purpose, etc. The participant had a set of from 9 to 16 sealed envelopes for each scenario, labeled as to the type of information inside. The participant opened as many envelopes as desired, in any order, to reach a decision as to what route to take. Participants typically only acquired three items of information, even though there were no constraints on information acquisition. “Incident location” was the most frequently selected, and most often opened first, but “delay” was most often cited as the most important item. Estimated travel times on the primary or alternate route were sought by some participants. Cluster analysis revealed three primary groups of individuals in terms of common information strategies. The findings are interpreted in terms of implications for the design of ATIS messages.
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