No abstract

No abstract

No abstract

No abstract

In Thailand, paratransit plays a role as the dominant transport mode in many urban areas. Specially, Songtaew or a modified pick-up truck taking passengers on the back with an overhead cage and two row seats in the back that can accommodate up to 20 passengers, operates as a main public transport mode in many medium-sized cities of Thailand. This mode is popular because it is more flexible and cheaper than other transport modes particular for students who have limitation on mode choice selection. However, the study on school trip have not yet well understood. Therefore, the main objective of this paper is to investigate user perception of Songtaew service focusing on examining the journey to school of the high school students in Khon Kaen City, the capital of the Northeast region. In the absence of statistics regarding school trip making in the city, a questionnaire survey has been undertaken to determine demographics, mode of travel to school, travel cost and duration, factors influencing transport modes of school travel and the student satisfaction with Songtaew service. Based on the analysis, the most of senior high school students who already have motorcycle license going to school by motorcycle. On the other hand, the junior high school students travel to school by taking Songtaew more than the other modes. For the student satisfaction with Songtaew service, the overall satisfaction reflects that generally all students who use Songtaew going to school are satisfied with Songtaew service. This study also recommend the future study more about the improvement of Songtaew regarding impact factors on their satisfaction, in order to maintain existing student users and attract new passengers. This improvement will make Khon Kaen City more sustainable and reduce the use of private vehicle especially motorcycle in the future.