Route choice behavior of freeway travelers under realtime traffic information provision–application of the best route and the habitual route choice mechanisms

The route choice behaviour on freeways between Taipei and Taichung in Taiwan under real-time traffic information provision is investigated. Two types of route choice mechanisms (the best-route and habitual-route) are analysed using ordered probit models to identify the major influences on freeway travellers’ route choice behaviour. The level of service associated with each route is defined as a generalized cost saving and specified non-linearly with a spline-like threshold inherent to travellers. The marginal (dis)utility thresholds in the ‘best’ and ‘habitual’ behaviour models are identified through a grid search assessed on overall goodness of fit. The findings from this study provide a better understanding of the effects of Advanced Traveller Information Systems on drivers’ route choice behaviour, and a useful reference when planning for the provision of realtime information for drivers

Freeway drivers’ willingness to pay for speeding fines

Taiwanese drivers, like most drivers, often exceed the legal speed limit and expose themselves to the risk of a fine. Given the propensity to exceed the legal speed limit is common in many counties, it is of interest to understand the amount that drivers are willing to pay for driving faster than the law permits. This may provide useful guidance on the extent to which current fines are adequate as a deterrent to speeding. In this paper we use the contingent valuation method to measure drivers’ preferences and to estimate econometric models to determine Taiwanese drivers’ willingness to pay (WTP) for driving faster than the law allows. Given the high incidence of a zero willingness to pay, we use a spike model to capture this phenomenon. The study identifies some key influences on WTP such as personal income, the presence/absence of past violations, the risk tolerance of the driver, and the proportion of times spent on the roads where the driver was exceeding the speeding limit last year. On average, we find that freeway drivers in various locations in Taiwan were willing to pay between $US43 and$US51 for driving faster than the law allows

The Effect of Service Quality and Price on International Airline Competition

A game theoretic model, integrated with passenger’s international choice behaviour, for the competition between international airlines is developed and used to identify the role of competing service quality. The empirical evidence suggests that safety, convenience, and service quality have a major influence on the choice decision of air passengers. Passengers respond strongly to decreases in price, safety, service comprehensiveness and increases in convenience. In a Cournot model, airlines are predicted to increase service quality, with China Airlines, a dominant carrier, the winner on safety and service quality. Foreign companies are beneficiaries in providing convenient service quality. In a Stakelberg model, all the airlines will increase safety and diversify service quality to a reference point. Foreign airlines will additionally be winners in safety and convenience with China Airlines a winner in diversifying service quality. This research can be used by the airline companies as a reference for making tactical decisions and gaining a competitive advantage in the air transportation market. By this, we can raise the quality of service of the aviation market as a whole and deliver a win-win situation to all stakeholders

Oncologic impact of delay between diagnosis and radical nephroureterectomy

PurposeThis study aimed to evaluate the oncological outcome of delayed surgical wait time from the diagnosis of upper tract urothelial carcinoma (UTUC) to radical nephroureterectomy (RNU).MethodsIn this multicenter retrospective study, medical records were collected between 1988 and 2021 from 18 participating Taiwanese hospitals under the Taiwan UTUC Collaboration Group. Patients were dichotomized into the early (≤90 days) and late (>90 days) surgical wait-time groups. Overall survival, disease-free survival, and bladder recurrence-free survival were calculated using the Kaplan–Meier method and multivariate Cox regression analysis. Multivariate analysis was performed using stepwise linear regression.ResultsOf the 1251 patients, 1181 (94.4%) were classifed into the early surgical wait-time group and 70 (5.6%) into the late surgical wait-time group. The median surgical wait time was 21 days, and the median follow-up was 59.5 months. Our study showed delay-time more than 90 days appeared to be associated with worse overall survival (hazard ratio [HR] 1.974, 95% confidence interval [CI] 1.166−3.343, p = 0.011), and disease-free survival (HR 1.997, 95% CI 1.137−3.507, p = 0.016). This remained as an independent prognostic factor after other confounding factors were adjusted. Age, ECOG performance status, Charlson Comorbidity Index (CCI), surgical margin, tumor location and adjuvant systemic therapy were independent prognostic factors for overall survival. Tumor location and adjuvant systemic therapy were also independent prognostic factors for disease-free survival.ConclusionsFor patients with UTUC undergoing RNU, the surgical wait time should be minimized to less than 90 days. Prolonged delay times may be associated with poor overall and disease-free survival

The Relationship between High Speed Rail and Tourism

Much research has verified that the active development of the High Speed Rail (HSR) can create business activities and promote tourism growth. However, based on the related research review, there is currently a lack of profound discussion on the development of the overall transportation system and tourism growth in Taiwan, thus, this study intends to discuss this issue and hopes to provide an important reference for future regional development. This study conducts an in-depth investigation of the relationship between HSR and tourism volume. The Difference in Difference (DID) model is used to verify the impact of HSR services on the tourism volume in Taiwan. In addition, the aggregate data of socio-economic variables and the constituent factors of the transportation mode are incorporated. Finally, the possible consequences are described through elastic analysis. The results of this study can be an important reference for the future development of counties and cities

External Costs to Parties Involved in Highway Traffic Accidents: The Perspective of Highway Users

This study explores highway travellers’ willingness to pay (WTP) for external costs caused by traffic accidents. There are a number of further external costs, the paper focuses on two externalities: air pollution and time delays. Data collection was performed using the face-to-face survey method, and the surveys were carried out at highway rest areas. Air pollution and time delays were divided into three levels of severity (light, moderate and severe) to obtain the interviewees’ WTP according to each level of severity. The result of this study demonstrates that there are many samples with zero WTP because penalties for pollution caused by traffic accidents are not currently enforced in Taiwan. Thus, the spike model was adopted in this study to overcome any estimation error that might be caused by excessive NT$0 WTP samples. The results show that variables such as age, education, income and willingness to participate in activities of environmental protection have a positive effect on WTP for air pollution, whereas variables such as occupation, travel purpose, traveller identity, travel time and travel distance have a significantly positive effect on WTP for time delays. WTP for nitrogen dioxide (NO2) is NT$8862–11,502/metric ton (US$1 = NT$30) and WTP for carbon dioxide (CO2) is NT$1070–2693/metric ton. Moreover, WTP for time delays is NT$960–1320/h. The findings of this study not only demonstrate WTP for air pollution and time delays in the minds of parties to traffic accidents but also help to provide agencies with a basis to formulate applicable penalties in the future

Application of Revised Importance–Performance Analysis to Investigate Critical Service Quality of Hotel Online Booking

This study integrates the three-factor theory and Importance–Performance Analysis (IPA) into a three-dimensional importance–performance analysis (3-D IPA) approach to identify the critical service quality attributes for hotel online booking. A seven-point Likert-type scale of service quality measurement was designed in the survey and the participants (foreign independent tourists) were randomly selected at Taoyuan International Airport, Taiwan. A total of 453 participants were identified. The classification of the factors was based on the explicit importance, while the implicit importance was measured with the relationship of satisfaction by using the ordered probit model. The results, compared to the traditional method of partial correlation analysis, were different in the dimensions of Fulfillment and Responsiveness, Safety and Security, Website Functionality, and Customer Relationships. In conclusion, this study broadens the perspective of research method and improves the performance evaluation of e-service quality attributes. The empirical results provide recommendations and policy implications for resource allocation of hotel management

Fail to Yield? An Analysis of Ambulance Crashes in Taiwan

Introduction—Medical emergency vehicles help patients get to the hospital quickly. However, there were more and more ambulance crashes on the road in Taiwan during the last decade. This study investigated the characteristics of medical emergency vehicle crashes in Taiwan from January 2003 to December 2016. Methods—The ordered logit (OL) model, multinominal logit (MNL) model, and partial proportional odds (PPO) model were applied to investigate the relationship between the severity of ambulance crash injuries and its risk factors. Results—We found the various factors have different effects on the overall severity of ambulance crashes, such as ambulance drivers’ characteristics and road and weather conditions. When another car was involved in ambulance crashes, there was a disproportionate effect on the different overall severity, as found by the PPO model. Conclusions—The results showed that male ambulance drivers and car drivers who failed to yield to an ambulance had a higher risk of severe injury from ambulance crashes. Ambulance crashes are an emerging issue and need further policies and public education regarding Taiwan’s ambulance transportation safety