Description
Weight waiting minutes, add travel minutes, divide by 60 and multiply by hourly wage, then add fare.
Generalized travel cost combines supplied cash charges with a monetary valuation of time. Its meaning depends on the time basis, wage or opportunity value, and which costs are included.
Weight waiting minutes, add travel minutes, divide by 60 and multiply by hourly wage, then add fare.
When to use this tool
Use Commute Generalized Cost Time Factor when you need one stated travel-cost comparison or valuation component.
How to use the tool and how it works
- Enter fare, travelMinutes, waitMinutes, wagePerHour, waitWeight. Use the units and conventions below.
- Run the tool. Correct any format, range, or cross-field input error before interpreting the output.
- Read valuedMinutes, timeCost, generalizedCost. Use the output convention below.
Require nonnegative fare, minutes, wagePerHour, and waitWeight. Weight waiting minutes, add travel minutes, divide by 60 and multiply by hourly wage, then add fare.1
| Input field | Meaning and units | Accepted input |
|---|---|---|
| fare | Fare | Required. Finite number; minimum 0. |
| travelMinutes | Travel Minutes | Required. Finite number; minimum 0. |
| waitMinutes | Wait Minutes | Required. Finite number; minimum 0. |
| wagePerHour | Nonnegative monetary value per hour in the fare currency. | Required. Finite number; minimum 0. |
| waitWeight | Nonnegative dimensionless multiplier applied to waiting minutes. | Required. Finite number; minimum 0. |
| Output field | Interpretation | Returned shape |
|---|---|---|
| valuedMinutes | Valued Minutes | Required. Finite number. |
| timeCost | Time Cost | Required. Finite number. |
| generalizedCost | Generalized Cost | Required. Finite number. |
{
"input": {
"fare": 5,
"travelMinutes": 30,
"waitMinutes": 10,
"wagePerHour": 20,
"waitWeight": 2
},
"output": {
"valuedMinutes": 50,
"timeCost": 16.666666666666668,
"generalizedCost": 21.666666666666668
}
}Limitations and assumptions
- Use one currency and the stated hour/minute conversion; waitWeight and wage valuation are supplied assumptions rather than measured welfare or actual cash spending.
- Inputs must satisfy both the field types and the cross-field conditions above. Invalid input causes an error; a successful false flag or documented placeholder is a different result.
- Numeric calculations use binary floating point unless exact decimal-integer arithmetic is explicitly stated. No hidden measurement tolerance or decimal rounding is added; nonfinite or out-of-contract results are rejected. Numeric signed-zero results are exported as zero.
Alternative or Complementary methods
Keep actual payments separate from modeled time values and review the complete costing assumptions.
References
Similar or alternative tools
- Commute Cost Unit Wedge
Divide firstCost and secondCost by their positive trip counts and return firstPerTrip-secondPerTrip.
- Community Access Travel Cost Income Share
Double oneWayFare and multiply by weeklyVisits for cash cost.