An Analysis of Maritime Ro-Ro Freight Transport Service Attributes through Adaptive Stated Preference: an Application to a Sample of Freight Forwarders

Abstract

In this paper we present preliminary evidence from a pilot study carried out with the primary objective
\nof testing the validity of adaptive conjoint data collecting methods in analysing operators’ preferences
\nwhen redirecting current on-land transport services to a hypothetical maritime ro-ro service alternative.
\nThe analysis has focussed on a sample of freight forwarders. Through a combination of Revealed
\nPreferences and Adaptive Stated Preference Experiments we have constructed a database of their
\npreferences’ toward the maritime ro-ro alternative using a set of transport service attributes: price,
\nreliability, frequency, transit time, etc. We have estimated the relevant parameters through a Tobit model
\nand have been able to calculate relative trade-off values among the significant attributes. The resulting
\nranking highlights the relative importance of reliability and frequency in the decision to switch to
\nmaritime services.