LIFESTYLE IMPACT OF CHANGES IN REAL TRANSPORT COSTS

Transport is a vital and integral part of our lives, but exists to enable us to engage in activities (such as work, shopping, personal business and recreation) which are at different locations. The budget of time and money available to people has to be split between many competing activities. The way in which people decide to do this is a function of their lifestyle. This paper looks at how it occurs, and from this takes a cautious look at the future. The balance between vehicle usage and ownership costs is slowly changing to favour operating costs, but the overall fraction of family expenditure devoted to private vehicles has stayed stable through a tripling of fuel costs. The overall allocation of time to travel appears to be stable across all income groups, and the income distributions of some widely different types of households show close similarities at each level of car ownership. The conclusion is that the diversity of time and expenditure balances already being made cover a far wider range of responses than would be introduced by substantial further fuel cost increases--even in real terms.

• Supplemental Notes:
  • Project 380, Vehicle Ownership and Use.
• Corporate Authors:

  ARRB

  Melbourne, Victoria  Australia 
• Authors:
  • WIGAN, M R
• Publication Date: 1981-3

Media Info

• Features: Figures; References; Tables;
• Pagination: 22 p.

Subject/Index Terms

• TRT Terms: Automobile ownership; Automobile travel; Budgeting; Costs; Income; Operating costs; Time
• Subject Areas: Economics; Finance; Highways; Society;

Filing Info

• Accession Number: 00361385
• Record Type: Publication
• Source Agency: National Highway Traffic Safety Administration
• Report/Paper Numbers: AIR 380-1, HS-032 547
• Files: HSL, TRIS, ATRI, USDOT
• Created Date: May 28 1982 12:00AM