Different individuals prefer using different mode of transportation based on different factors. According to customer choice theory, customers make their choices based on their income as well as the prices of services and goods. This assists us in understanding how personal incomes and tastes influence the market demand. In transport sector, customer choice is influenced by a number of factors other than prices. One of the major factors that determine the transportation choice is the purpose of travel. There are main purposes of travel that include commuting for work or study, travel for shopping, pleasure, and business, among other purposes. This highly determined the choice in the mode of transportation to be used in the two cities. The choices quite similar in the two cities while considering this purpose. Most individual who travel for work focuses on the cost of transport, route taken, destination, and ability to fight congestion. They normally chose the most convenient and cheap form of transportation, bus being selected for being located close to job destination, while train being considered for being free of traffic congestion. Workers normally travel during the peak hours which are characterized by traffic congestion. Personal cars are also highly considered by work commuters, particularly due to convenience and short walking distance to the workplace. However, they are prone to traffic jam and thus, they may be less convenient compared to rail when time factor is considered (Corpuz N.d).
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Business travellers in Perth consider using personal cars if there are no shipments involved. This is considered to be more convenient compared to other means of transport since they may need to make various business stops. Buses and trains are used where shipment in and out of the town are required. This is particularly made easier by easy connection from bus to trains and vice versa. School transportation is selected based on convenience, cost, and security. A more secure for of transport is highly considered with low cost and that is convenient (Corpuz N.d.). Convenience in this cases focuses on alighting area compared to the school position with private bus being more commonly used to ensure children are dropped at school. Shopping and leisure travel commonly involves group travel, either with family members or friends. In this regard, group convenience is considered first. Unlike leisure travel, shopping travel involves carrying of large loads from the shopping point to transportation terminals. In this case, personal car or a taxi is highly considered. Travel for leisure may include personal car or private bus based on the number of the group (Ibrahim 2005).
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Another aspect that determined choice of transport is the cost involved. Perth experience a high use of personal car compared to Singapore. This is due to rise in car ownership reduction in real cost of employing cars and income growth in the country. The transport planning in the country has also played a great part in encouraging the use of private cars due to the regulation of congestion during peak hours. This has resulted to high use of private transportation compared to public mode of transportation (Soacconference.com.au. 2016). However the situation is quite different in Singapore. The Singapore transportation system is encouraging the use of public transport compared to private mode of transportation. This is done by increasing the overall cost of using private cars in the country which include high parking fees. This makes public transport to be more preferred since it is considered to be less stressful, cheap; fare set per distance, and with enough time to relax particularly after work. Taxi is considered to be highly expensive compared to the public form of communication and thus, it is less preferred, particularly by daily work commuters (Der and Ing 2010)
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Other factors determining the choice of form of transport include comfort, speed, and reliability. Perth population focuses more on speed than anything else, while choosing their form of transportation. This is followed by the reliability of the form of transportation based on individual transportation purpose, this is followed by the convenience, comfort and finally how secure the form of transportation is. In Singapore, convenience and cost the first aspects to be considered. Personal cars are highly comfortable; however they are costly and inconvenient particularly while looking for a parking space in the city (Olsson 2003).
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The change in travellers’ behaviour is highly determined by changes in the transportation system in each city. The establishment of harsh condition for personal car use in Singapore pushed more people into public transport, reducing the rate of private travel in the city. Similarly, the establishment and enhancement of heavy gauge rail has reduced individual preference to light rail to a point of ending its services in the city. In addition, increase in the use of cars in Perth was highly facilitated by new urban planning in the city which started at around 1950s. The good transport conditions encouraged people to buy cars in the city. Thus, individual behaviours on the choice of transport can highly be influenced by the change of situations (Soacconference.com.au. 2016). In Singapore, the public transportation was highly mad with congestion. This resulted to the introduction of a new initiative to encourage those who can to travel a few hours before the rush hour. The initiative was characterized by subsidized fare during these hours. This enhanced the change of travellers behaviours where by most of them considered taking advantage of subsidized fares, and travelled earlier enough. Consequently, the Singapore public system was able to ease on the congestion issue, which highly affected the travel convenience in public bus traveling system.
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