Int. J. Procurement Management, Vol. 2, No. 4, 2009 377 Determining elasticities in discrete choice models Rubén Sainz-González* Universidad de Cantabria Avd/ de los Castros s/n 39005, Santander, Spain and Zaragoza Logistic Center, Spain E-mail: rsainz@unican.es *Corresponding author Pablo Coto-Millán and Ramón Núñez-Sánchez Universidad de Cantabria Avd/ de los Castros s/n 39005, Santander, Spain E-mail: cotop@unican.es E-mail: nunezr@unican.es Irene Andrés-Moro Fundación Centro Tecnológico en Logística Integral Cantabria Paseo de Pereda 33 1º.39004, Santander, Spain E-mail: Irene.andres@ctlcantabria.com Abstract: The objective of this paper is to determine the changes in the probability of choosing a private car for travelling, these changes being caused by variations in the generic variables of travel time and cost. For that purpose, we adjust discrete choice models in relation to private or public transport election, analysing passenger behaviour with regard to the different reasons for travelling and the time of the day of the trip. In addition, we determine the time and cost elasticities of transport demand in discrete choice models. This research shows that the elasticities with respect to the time difference variable are higher than the ones obtained considering cost difference and, for trips with study purposes, the elasticities are higher than those calculated for other travel purposes. Finally, an empirical application for the city of Santander (Spain) is offered. Keywords: transport demand; discrete choice models; elasticities. Reference to this paper should be made as follows: Sainz-González, S., Coto-Millán, P., Núñez-Sánchez, N. and Andrés-Moro, I. (2009) ‘Determining elasticities in discrete choice models’, Int. J. Procurement Management, Vol. 2, No. 4, pp.377–387. Biographical notes: Rubén Sainz-González obtained a degree in Economy at the University of Cantabria (Spain) in 2002 and a PhD at the same university in 2005. He has been a Lecturer at the same university since April 2001 and an Assistant Research Professor at the Zaragoza Logistic Center (ZLC) since July 2008. He was a Research Coordinator at the Foundation Innovation Centre Copyright © 2009 Inderscience Enterprises Ltd.