Estimation of Cross and Direct Elasticity of Urban Transportation Methods (Case Study: Isfahan City, Rout Between Shohada, Imam Hossein Square)

The analysis of transportation demand is one of the most important pillars of transportation planning and management. Therefore, choosing effective decisions in the field of travel demand requires knowledge of price and income elasticity of different vehicles. In this regard, the purpose of this study is to estimate the direct and cross elasticities of price and calculate the income elasticity of urban transportation demand, including buses, subways, taxis and private cars in the area of Shohada Square- Imam Hossein Square in Isfahan by the method of system of the almost ideal demand. The variable considered in this study include household expenses, monetary, and time costs of urban transportation mode which was extracted through random distribution of a questionnaire among passengers. The result of this study shows that the amount of self- price elasticity of buses, subways, taxis and private cars is negative, which indicates that it is in line with the law of demand. Also, the values obtained for elasticity indicate the inelasticity of demand for these vehicles and insensitivity of passengers to changes in the price of these vehicles. The result of income elasticities show that buses and subways with income elasticities of less than one are essential good while taxis and private cars with income elasticities of more than one are luxury good. The results related to the substitution elasticity indicate that taxi and subway both substitute for bus but the intensity of metro substitution is more than taxi, while the amount of the substitution elasticity of metro with bus, taxi and personal car indicate that all three kinds of transportation are substitute for metro. But the substitution elasticity of taxi is significantly higher than other two kinds of transportation. So, with the increase in the price of metro, the taxi demand will increase more. The substitution elasticity of taxi with bus, metro and personal car expresses that there is no significant difference in the amount of substituting elasticity of these three kinds of mod, but Substitution elasticity of personal car with other vehicles indicate between three kinds of transportation which substitute with personal car, the substitution elasticity of taxi is more than others.