Modeling traveler choice behavior using the concepts of relative utility and relative interest

Abstract Individual choice behavior usually involves a complex decision-making process, and is often context-dependent reflecting the influence of choice environment and the fact that the individual has limited information processing ability and varying levels of interest in alternatives. However, the existing models in transportation have not represented these behavioral mechanisms satisfactorily, although to avoid the Independence of Irrelevant Alternatives (IIA) property of the widely used multinomial logit (MNL) model, a variety of non-IIA models have been suggested in the literature. This paper will propose another random utility choice model by introducing the concepts of relative utility and relative interest. A revised MNL model and a revised Nested-MNL model will be developed. Both of these models do not have the IIA property. The performance of these new models will be assessed using conjoint-based activity diary data about the choice of destination and stop pattern.