EXPERIENCE IN A COMPANY-WIDE LONG DISTANCE CARPOOL PROGRAM IN SOUTH KOREA JB s Social Club Presented at TRB 94th Annual Meeting on Jan 12, 2015 Louis Berger Kyeongsu Kim Land & Housing Institute (LHI) Wanhee Byun, Ph.D Daejeon Development Institute Jung-Beom Lee, Ph.D
RESEARCH UNIQUENESS Explore a company-wide long distance carpool program. - Limited to the employees (about 90 research fellows) at the Korea Land & Housing Institute (LHI) - Emerged by the relocation of LHI from its original location, about 140 kilometers away, by a political decision. Investigate two different datasets; - A carpool satisfaction survey in April 2013 - Three-year usage log (Paper sheet vs. Smartphone app) 2
RESEARCH GOALS To analyze the emergent travel pattern of carpool. To assess the impact of online carpool matching system vs. a traditional paper matching sheet. To see its potential to - the affected individuals from the upcoming relocation of quasi-governmental corporations and government-mandated research centers in Korea by 2016. - any other workplaces that have relocated or plan to do. 3
LITERATURE REVIEW Three major areas of carpooling literature - Its impacts on congestion mitigation, - Relationship between carpooling and accessibility, - Recognition of existing carpooling status (to find places to encourage carpooling). Findings include; - Carpool lane reduces Person Hours Traveled by 30% - Vehicle Hours Traveled was reduced by 15%. - Positive relationship b/w carpooling and lower incomes, immigrants, the number of workers in the household, and trip length - A high individual carpooling propensity when their neighbors share similarity i.e., race and language. - Importance of incentives: reduced cost, free parking, and organizational efforts to guarantee ride home 4
Carpool Program in LHI
BACKGROUND Carpooling at the Korea Land & Housing Institute (LHI): a think-tank attached to the Korea Land & Housing (LH) Corporation Emerged after the relocation of LHI to Daejeon from Bundang in 2010 - Planned by Korean government s political decision during President Noh s administration (2003-2007) - A strategy to boost local economies across the nation; relocating quasigovernmental corporations and government-mandated research institutes to reduce the gaps in economic and employment opportunities in other regions. 6
FIGURE 1 Distance b/w previous and current LHI locations 7
BACKGROUND For 1st year in 2010, LHI provided a daily commuting shuttle between Bundang and Daejeon. - Expected to help employees arrange their permanent move to Daejeon. - Yet, employees were unwilling to move due mainly to increasing family share of dual-income and concern about local school system. Since 2011, LHI provided limited shuttle service on Monday and Friday - Many stayed in employer-provided housing during weekdays and visit their family during the weekend. - But some still makes long distance travel to visit family during weekdays 8
CARPOOLING IN LHI Began in March 2011. Voluntary nature; - Carpool sign-up sheet from march 2011 to April 2013 - Smartphone app since May 2013 10,000 won ($10) in each trip; affordable than other modes - Driving alone: costs about 25,000 won ($23 in US) for a one-way trip, accounting for gas and tolls; commute time (1 ½ hours) - Inter-city express bus: limited local bus schedule and costly taxi fare; costs about 17,000 to 23,000 won; longer commuting time (3 hours) 9
FIGURE 2 Smartphone Apps:BAND 10
DATA SOURCES 1. A carpool satisfaction survey in April 2014 - Out of 65 survey participants, 36 carpooled at least once. 2. Three-year usage log - Paper sheet from March 2011 to April 2014 - Smartphone app from Oct 2013 to June 2014 Note: Out of 90 research fellows, 70 employees still live in the Seoul Metro area; 11 relocated to Daejeon; and remainders represent new employees as of fall 2014. 11
KEY FINDINGS High participation rates among; - Employees in their 40s and 50s and married as a driver - Female employees and un-married as passengers. NoSignificant Difference b/w Paper vs. Online App - Trip frequency - Average vehicle occupancy rates Second previous literature that the advancement of Information and Communication Technologies (ICT) on the front-end does not guarantee the increase in carpools (Buliung et al. 2010). 12
Findings in Survey Data
FIGURE 3 Survey participants & percentage of carpooling participation by age groups 40 35 30 25 20 15 10 5 0 89% 86% 61% 71% 33% 37 28 15 0% 5 4 3 8 7 20-29 30-39 40-49 50-59 Surveyed (65) Non-Daejeon Residents (42) Carpooling: Commute only by Non-Daejeon Residents (23) Carpooling: Commute+Business by Non-Daejeon Residents (9) 100% 90% 80% 70% 60% 50% 40% 30% 20% 10% 0% 14
FIGURE 4 Survey participants & percentage of carpooling participation by residency 25 90.5% 100.0% 90.0% 20 80.0% 15 61.9% 64.3% 57.1% 70.0% 60.0% 10 5 0 57.1% 21 23 28.6% 14 17.4% 7 0.0% Bundang Seoul Other Seoul Metro Daejeon 50.0% 40.0% 30.0% 20.0% 10.0% 0.0% Surveyed (65) Carpooling: Commute only (23) Carpooling: Commute+Business (36) 15
FIGURE 5 Other key statistics Trip Purpose business, 36% commutin g 64% Costs Cheap, 17% Appropria te, 83% Monthly Usage 30 25 20 15 10 5 0 Users 25 6 1 2 1 1 <= 2 3 to 4 5 to 6 7 to 8 9 to 10 >=11 Necessity of Web Apps 25 20 15 10 5 0 Users 22 7 5 2 Definitely Yes Not Sure No 16
Findings in Carpooling Usage Log
TABLE 1 (1) Descriptive Statistics of Carpooling Participation 1.1 Participants All Male Female Married Single Mean Ages Driver Only 8 6 2 8 0 45 Passenger Only 19 14 5 18 1 48 Driver + Passenger 36 26 10 32 4 48 Total 63 46 17 58 5 48 1.2 Vehicle and Person Trips (only based on available days) Vehicle Trips* Person Trips* Mean 1.3 3.8 95% CI: Upper Limit 1.3 4.0 95% CI: Lower Limit 1.2 3.6 Median 1 4 Max 5 17 Min 1 1 Carpooled Days 304 (382**) 304 (382*) Total Trips 489 1,446 *The number of vehicles and vehicle occupants when carpooling is in operation. **If each direction carpooling counts independently; all estimates in tables are based on one-way trip information unless otherwise specify. 18
TABLE 1 (2) Descriptive Statistics of Carpooling Participation 1.3 - Driver Trips All Male Female Married Single* Mean 11.8 12.1 10.8 12.7 2.3 95% CI: Upper Limit 17.6 19.7 18.3 19.0 2.7 95% CI: Lower Limit 5.9 4.5 3.4 6.4 1.8 Median 3 4 3 4 2 Max 114 114 41 114 3 Min 1 1 1 1 2 Participants (persons) 44 32 12 40 4 Total Trips 517 387 130 508 9 *Cautious to interpret the estimates due to small sample size 19
TABLE 1 (3) Descriptive Statistics of Carpooling Participation 1.4 - Passenger Trips All Male Female Married Single* Mean 18.1 10.8 37.6 16.8 31.4 95% CI: Upper Limit 24.6 14.9 55.6 23.3 59.4 95% CI: Lower Limit 11.7 6.7 19.6 10.3 3.4 Median 6 5 19 6 16 Max 103 57 103 103 72 Min 1 1 1 1 1 Participants (persons) 55 40 15 50 5 Total Trips 997 433 564 840 157 *Cautious to interpret the estimates due to small sample size 20
Paper Sheet vs. Smartphone Apps
TABLE 2 Distribution of Vehicle Trips Day Total To Bundang To Daejeon Pre-Post Band Pre 1 Post 2 11/12 Pre 3 12/13 Pre 3 13/14 Post 3 Monday 6 6 0 3 3 0 0 1 Tuesday 147 67 80 119 28 16 15 21 Wednesday 140 84 56 115 25 23 14 16 Thursday 189 139 50 157 32 29 17 14 Friday 7 7 0 7 0 0 0 0 Saturday 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 Sunday 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 Total 489 303 186 401 88 68 46 52 100% 62% 38% 3 3 Note: 1 March 2011 to April 2013 2 October 2013 to June 2014 3 October, November, December, January, February, March, and April 22
FIGURE 6 Average vehicle occupancy rates 4.0 Tuesday Wednesday Thursday 3.5 3.0 2.8 3.0 3.1 2.8 2.8 3.4 2.5 2.0 1.5 1.0 0.5 0.0 To Bundang/Pre To Bundang/Post To Daejeon/Pre To Daejeon/Post 23
Conclusion A unique company-wide long distance carpool program. - Economical efficient and convenient Challenges - Volunteerism: availability is not always certain - Insurance liability coverage (for passengers): if claiming compensation Limitation - Sample size - Incomplete Survey (Questionnaire)Design Implications - Can replicate similar commuting patterns in 58 out of 148 (relocated) Korean quasi-governmental corps. and government-mandated research think-tanks - Apply to any companies recently relocated or plan to do because of increasing office rent 24
THANK YOU! Questions?