Using the extensions of the theory of planned behavior (TPB) for behavioral intentions to use public transport (PT) in Kanazawa, Japan

Public Transport (PT) systems play an essential role in fulfilling the travel needs of the commuters’ specially in the urban settings. However, with varying attitudes, beliefs, and satisfaction levels of commuters, it is imperative to check if the current PT system is able to fulfill the needs of the commuters. In order to extract the underlaying factors which might affect the use of PT, a questionnaire survey was administrated in the city of Kanazawa, Ishikawa, Japan. The intentions of the residents of the city were predicted using the theoretical backgrounds of the Theory of Planned Behavior (TPB), based on their attitudes, Subjective Norms (SN), Perceived Behavioral Control, Moral and Environmental Concerns, Access by Public Transport (APT), and Travel Cost Consciousness (TCC), the intentions and public transport behavior (PT behavior) was predicted. The results of Personal Norm (PN) and Environmental Concern (EC) factor shows that respondents place high belief on moral obligations to protect environment and prefer using PT for traveling. The APT has a positive and significant estimate with PT behavior variable. The results of TCC factor depict that the traveler's consciousness about cost and travel time elements of their journey would cause significant impact on their travel choices. The findings of this research study can offer valuable insights for the government as well as PT service operators for policy making in Kanazawa and other cities with similar socio-economic demographics in the country.