A comparison of system and user performance under single-criterion and multi-criteria route guidance systems

This paper contrasts and compares the influences of single-criterion and multi-criteria route guidance systems on the whole transportation system and user performances under various market penetrations by utilizing mixed equilibrium network modeling approach. In the multi-criteria situation, users are assumed to select routes based on the tradeoffs between travel time and (monetary) travel cost, which constitute the travel disutility and can be provided by advanced traveler information systems (ATIS), while the single-criterion route guidance is based on travel time minimization. Suppose the total travel demand is given and fixed, we examine how the numbers of criteria influence both the system and user performance. The findings suggest that the traditional single criterion route guidance may overestimate or underestimate system performance and user benefits, which relies on the form of the travel disutility function form. Hence, the findings can overturn some previous outcomes in single-criterion analysis and bi-criteria counterpart such as Adler's (1999).