Spatial patterns and determinants of children's school travel mode choice in México City: The link between escorting and active travel

Introduction Fostering active transportation in the children's school journey is a key objective of sustainable urban development. Few studies analyze the variety of trip arrangements (independent or escorted) in relation to travel modes, which also encompass a wide diversity of options. The developing world context offers a particular opportunity to study these aspects. Methods This paper analyzes the case of Mexico City using data from the 2017 Household Travel Survey on the individual, household, escorting, and built environment determinants of mode choice in children's travel to school across three levels: Kindergarten, Elementary, and Junior High Schools (JHS). This is a cross-sectional study that applies a discrete choice model. Results There is a distinctive geographical pattern specific to each mode. Overall, walking is the predominant mode of transportation, while independent travel using transit increases as children age and progress to higher educational levels. Different associations were found, but arguably the more relevant suggest that household socioeconomic category is relevant only in elementary school, while gender is more relevant in Junior High School, with the upper category and girls more prone to travel by PV and bike less. Other factors that increase PV include the high education level of the head of household and mixed land use. Factors that increased biking were being escorted by another family member, less sloped areas, and the density of bike lanes in JHS. Conclusions Better bike infrastructure and escorting programs tailored to local contexts must be applied to improve children's safe travel to school.