Development of a tool for estimation of total cost of commute in Austin

While intelligent consumers aim to investigate all costs and benefits prior to making travel mode decisions, much of the information needed is not readily available to them. There is even less knowledge of the costs and benefits to society that reflect those decisions. If there were a tool for transportation users to see the actual cost of their commute they would be able to make more informed decisions about travel. The purpose of this research is to create the background information for a tool in the form of a web application that will enable users to visualize the individual and societal costs and benefits of their own commutes. The information will materialize in the form of eight equations for estimating internal and external cost by four different modes of travel.