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• A scaled mixed logit model was used to estimate the travel preferences in Beijing. • A semi-random sample of 2652 respondents participated in the experiments. • Many findings deviate from results obtained in developed countries. • Travelers in Beijing are much less sensitive to possible delays caused by traffic congestion. Metropolises in emerging markets are facing serious urban transport challenges. Understanding people's travel preferences is crucial for designing effective sustainable urban policies. Little attention has been paid to studying travel preferences in multimodal transport systems in these markets. This study estimates the travel preferences in the metropolitan area of Beijing, which is notoriously plagued with high degrees of congestion. We administered a series of interwoven stated preference experiments on travel behavior. A semi-random sample of 2652 respondents participated in the experiments. The data were pooled and a scaled mixed logit model was used for estimation. The results provide rich information on how trade-offs are made among the manipulated attributes regarding travel time, cost, convenience, and reliability. Many findings deviate from results obtained in developed countries. A contrast standing out is that travelers in Beijing place much less weight on possible delays caused by traffic congestion. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]