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Exploring commuter stress dynamics through machine learning and double optimization

Authors

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.22581/muet1982.0062

Keywords:

Double optimization, Imbalanced dataset, Machine learning, stress, SHAP, Road safety

Abstract

Travel dynamics significantly impact commuter stress, influenced by traffic behavior, road conditions, travel modes, distance, and socio-demographic characteristics. Previous research on travel stress often exhibits limitations, including narrow scopes focusing on specific routes, vehicle types, or demographics. This study addresses these constraints by employing a comprehensive approach to analyze the influence of various travel attributes on commuter stress levels. An interview-based dataset was collected to capture the multifaceted experiences of road users. Five tree-based machine learning models–Decision Tree (DT), Random Forests (RF), Extra Trees (ET), Extreme Gradient Boosting (XGBoost), and k-Nearest Neighbor (k-NN)–were deployed for imbalanced multi-class classification. XGBoost demonstrated superior performance with the highest accuracy (73.33%) and precision (75.63%) with a standard deviation of ±5.9. A novel double hyperparameter optimization technique enhanced the prediction accuracy across all models, notably increasing the k-NN classifier’s accuracy to 19.99%. The SHAP (SHapley Additive exPlanations) method was utilized for model interpretability, revealing distance traveled per day as the most influential factor across stress levels, followed by mode of transport, gender, and age for low, medium, and high-stress categories, respectively. The study also examines the impact of features on individual commuter stress levels through random instance selection. This research provides valuable insights into the complex interplay between travel attributes and commuter stress, paving the way for the development of effective stress mitigation strategies and improved travel experiences for all road users.

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Author Biographies

  • Ashar Ahmed, NED University of Engineering and Technology

    Dr. Ashar Ahmed is Assistant Professor in the Department of Urban and Infrastructure Engineering, NED University of Engineering and Technology. He obtained his PhD from Universiti Sains Malaysia in 2016 and has been actively involved in research in Transportation engineering since then. He has published in JCR Q1 journals like Accident Analysis and Prevention and Transportation Research Part F.

  • Mario Muñoz-Organero, Carlos III University of Madrid

    Mario Muñoz-Organero received the M.Sc. degree in telecommunications engineering from the Polytechnic University of Catalonia, Barcelona, Spain, in 1996, and the Ph.D. degree in telecommunications engineering from the Carlos III University of Madrid, Leganes, Spain, in 2004.
    He is a full Professor in Telematics Engineering at the Carlos III University of Madrid. His main current research interests are in machine learning, deep learning, human activity recognition, health applications enhanced by machine learning, pervasive learning, personal recommender systems, mobile distributed and service oriented technologies and architectures, information systems, artificial intelligence, smart environments, adaptive systems and applications for the Internet of Things. He has participated as principal investigator in several regional, national and international funded research projects such as "ANALISIS EN TIEMPO REAL DE SENSORES SOCIALES Y ESTIMACION DE RECURSOS PARA TRANSPORTE MULTIMODAL BASADA EN APRENDIZAJE PROFUNDO" MaGIST-RALES), funded by the Spanish Agencia Estatal de Investigación (AEI, doi 10.13039/501100011033) under grant PID2019-105221RB-C44, "ANALYTICS USING SENSOR DATA FOR FLATCITY" TIN2016-77158-C4-1-R, HERMES-SMARTDRIVER - TIN2013-46801-C4-2-R, TUD COST Action TU1305 - Social networks and travel behaviourthe Spanish funded OSAMI project (TSI-020400-2009-92), the EU FP7 funded GEEWHEZ project (FP7/2007-2013) under grant agreement n° 286533, the Spanish funded project “HAUS. Hogar digital y contenidos Audiovisuales adaptados a los USuarios” IPT-2011-1049-430000 or the Spanish funded project “ARTEMISA Arquitectura para la eficiencia energética y sostenibilidad en ambientes inteligentes” TIN2009-14378-C02-02, inside the Carlos III University of Madrid. He has published over 100 articles in national and international conferences and journals.”

  • Bushra Aijaz, Independent Researcher

    Bushra Aijaz is Master of Engineering in Industrial Electronic. She has been serving as an academician and researcher since 2012 in the field of Electrical Engineering and Machine Learning. 

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Published

2025-04-09

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Vol. 44 No. 2 (2025): April Issue

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Articles

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Copyright (c) 2025 Mehran University Research Journal of Engineering and Technology

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How to Cite

Exploring commuter stress dynamics through machine learning and double optimization. (2025). Mehran University Research Journal of Engineering and Technology, 44(2), 35-46. https://doi.org/10.22581/muet1982.0062