Purpose-Driven Mobility: Comparing Mode Choice Behavior Across Commute and Discretionary Trips

Understanding how a trip purpose affects one’s travel decisions is crucial for optimizing transport systems, particularly in rapidly growing cities. Individuals weigh different modes considering diverse trip contexts, but questions remain about which factors influence mode choice according to trip purpose. To examine this, a dataset of 885 respondents was collected from Dhaka to examine public transport, private cars, paratransit, active mode, and ride-hailing mode choice. Sociodemographic as well as latent attitudinal factors of perceived accessibility, cognitive load, transport knowledge, and perceived hassle were estimated via two Multinomial Logit models. The analysis revealed that during commuting trips, knowledgeable road users tend to use private vehicles, whereas for non-commuting trips, they prefer active modes of transport, but perceived hassle hinders choosing active travel in non-commuting and encourages public transit use for commuting. Apart from that, both higher-income and middle-aged groups prefer private vehicles for commuting, while wealthier travelers avoid active travel for non-commuting, possibly due to greater financial capability and a stronger prioritization of convenience. As well as females are less likely to use public transit for both commuting and non-commuting trips, potentially due to safety concerns associated with these travel modes. Integrating behavioral, perceptual, and demographic insights, the study offers guidance for purpose-specific, inclusive, and safe transport planning in Dhaka.