This paper shows how travellers that are faced with a series of risky choices become behaviourally inert due to a combination of risk aversion and learning. Our theoretical analyses complement other studies that conceive inertia as resulting from the wish to save cognitive resources. We first present a model of risky travel mode choice. We show that if travellers dislike risk, and part of the quality of travel alternatives is only revealed upon usage, inertia emerges due to a learning-based lock-in effect. We extend our analyses to capture forward-looking behaviour and the provision of travel information.

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Erasmus Research Institute of Management
hdl.handle.net/1765/21097
ERIM Report Series Research in Management
ERIM report series research in management Erasmus Research Institute of Management
Erasmus Research Institute of Management

Chorus, C., & Dellaert, B. (2010). Travel Choice Inertia: The Joint Role of Risk Aversion and Learning (No. ERS-2010-040-MKT). ERIM report series research in management Erasmus Research Institute of Management. Retrieved from http://hdl.handle.net/1765/21097