Author:

Keywords:

behavioral science, field experiment, nudge, public transport, social labeling, Social Sciences, Psychology, Multidisciplinary, Psychology, BEHAVIORAL ECONOMICS, 1701 Psychology, 1702 Cognitive Sciences, 32 Biomedical and clinical sciences, 52 Psychology

Abstract:

A large-scale field experiment in Rotterdam, Netherlands, tested whether nudging could increase public transport use. During one work week, 4000 commuters on six bus lines, received a free travel card holder. On the three bus lines in the experimental condition, the card holders displayed a social label that branded bus passengers as sustainable travelers because of their bus use. On the three bus lines in the control condition, there was no such message on the card holders. Analysis of the number of rides per hour showed that the intervention led to a change from pre-intervention (619 days) to postintervention period (176 days) that was estimated to be 1.18 rides per day greater on experimental lines than on control lines. This experiment shows that public transport operators can increase public transport use by incorporating messages that positively label passengers as sustainable travelers in their communication strategies.