An Investigation of Vehicle Ownership and the Effects of Income and Vehicle Expenses in Mid-Sized City of Thailand

Abstract

This paper investigates the fundamental features and relationships of vehicle ownership, vehicle expenses and household socio-economic attributes in a mid-sized city in Thailand, using household vehicle ownership data recently collected. In this study, private vehicle dependency is explored. Based on a broad analysis, household income is found to be an important factor associated with both car and motorcycle ownerships, but perform in different manners. An analysis of household vehicle expense shows that the amount of car expense is considerably larger than motorcycle’s, while total vehicle expense also takes a significant portion within the household income. Moreover, over three quarters of total vehicle expense in the study area is on fuel. At the end of discussion, several predictions and suggestions on vehicle ownership situation in the study area, including a debate regarding feasibility of introducing price mechanisms for controlling vehicle ownership and usage in the study area, are concluded.