Congestion and scheduling preferences of car commuters in California: estimates using big data
利用大数据估计了加州汽车通勤者的时间安排效用函数，发现通勤者愿意为减少1单位出行时间而接受约1.2单位的时间延误，且多数人倾向于在期望时间附近到达。
Abstract This article estimates commuters’ scheduling utility function, which comprises the disutility of arriving at work earlier or later than desired (namely, the schedule-delay cost) and the disutility of travel time. The marginal rate of substitution (MRS) between the schedule delay and the travel time is about 0.85, meaning that commuters are willing to accept an extra schedule delay of about 1.2 time units (the reciprocal of 0.85) to reduce their travel time by 1 unit. For most travelers, the slope of the travel-time profile is much smaller than the estimated slope of the indifference curve (MRS). Based on our theoretical framework, where commuters choose a trip timing based on their travel-time profiles, our empirical results imply that commuters tend to arrive around their desired times bearing a small schedule-delay cost.