The Complex Psychology Behind Travel Behaviour Analysis | Interview with Chandra Bhat

Dr. Chandra R. Bhat is the Joe J. King Endowed Chair Professor in Engineering at The University of Texas (UT) at Austin, where he teaches courses in transportation systems analysis and transportation planning. He is currently serving as the Director of the US Department of Transportation’s National University Transportation Center on Travel Behavior and Demand. Dr. Bhat is recognized nationally and internationally as a leading expert in the areas of travel behavior analysis and travel demand modeling.

What you’ll learn:

• Is Public Interest Secondary in Transport Innovation? There is a growing concern that corporate interests from technology vendors are overtaking public interest in transportation planning.

• The Complex Interplay of Psychology and Transportation: Transportation isn’t just about infrastructure – it’s about understanding human behavior and travel choices, which can be incredibly complex

• Transportation as a Lifeline: Access to transportation directly impacts social inclusion and quality of life, making it a fundamental societal need.

• Equity and Road Pricing: While pricing mechanisms can help manage travel demand, they must be implemented with careful consideration of equity

• Behavioral Data and Bias in AI: AI systems trained on human driving behavior may adopt our biases, highlighting the need for human oversight, lest we exaggerate patterns and reinforce them through our own models.

  
  

  This episode was produced in partnership with the ITLS Board of Advice