Table 4 shows the characteristic of respondents and covers the data of socioeconomic and trip purpose
of each mode for a sample of 1,268 respondents of SuratThani and a sample of 1,385 respondents of Hat-
Yai. The result can be summarized as follows:
DOI:10.4186/ej.2014.18.2.141
ENGINEERING JOURNAL Volume 18 Issue 2, ISSN 0125-8281 (http://www.engj.org/) 151
Number of passengers travelled by public modes, most of the passengers chose to travel by train followed by bus and air between ST-BKK while airlines was the mode chosen by most passengers travelled between HY-BKK.
Number of travellers by private car were estimated by using an occupancy rate at 1.3 persons/car. [24]
Female travellers formed a higher percentage than male travellers in all travel modes between ST-BKK, whilst they made up a high percentage in train and air mode between HY-BKK.
For marital status, the ‘married status’ made up the highest percentage The respondents’ average ages in ST are higher than those in HY when compared between mode. Average ages are about 34-40 years old in ST and about 32 – 34 years old in HY.
In ST, the percentage of students travelled by train (41.7%) and car (34.6%) were the highest compared to other occupations whilst most of government officials selected to travel by bus (39.5%) and air mode (38.1%). For HY, the highest percentage of occupation was the students who chose to travel by train (28.9%) and airline (31.6%). Most of government officials chose to travel by bus (33.7%) and car (30.7%).
Most of the respondents’ education level was bachelor degree (>50%) except train passengers in HY where the percentage of below bachelor level was the highest (57.3%).
Similarly, the average of personal income and household income of respondents in both ST and HY show train passengers have the lowest income and air passengers the highest income.
The main travel purpose of respondents by mode were to do business and go home by train, to do business and touring by bus and airline and go to work and business by car in ST. In HY the main travel purposes by mode were to do business and study by train, to do business and go home by bus, air and car.