Journal article
Changing commuters’ behavior using rewards: A study of rush-hour avoidance
Centre for Transport and Society, Dept. of Planning and Architecture, Faculty of Environment and Technology, University of the West of England, Frenchay Campus, Bristol BS16 1QY, United Kingdom1
Urban and Regional Research Centre Utrecht, Dept. of Human Geography and Planning, Faculty of Geosciences, Utrecht University, P.O. Box 80115, 3508 TC Utrecht, The Netherlands2
In a 13-week field study conducted in The Netherlands, participants were provided with daily rewards – monetary and in-kind, in order to encourage them to avoid driving during the morning rush-hour. Participants could earn a reward (money or credits to keep a Smartphone handset), by driving to work earlier or later, by switching to another mode or by teleworking.
The collected data, complemented with pre and post measurement surveys, were analyzed using longitudinal techniques and mixed logistic regression. The results assert that the reward is the main extrinsic motivation for discouraging rush-hour driving. The monetary reward exhibits diminishing sensitivity, whereas the Smartphone has endowment qualities.
Although the reward influences the motivation to avoid the rush-hour, the choice how to change behavior is influenced by additional factors including education, scheduling, habitual behavior, attitudes, and travel information availability.
| Language: | English |
|---|---|
| Year: | 2011 |
| ISSN: | 18735517 and 13698478 |
| Types: | Journal article |
| DOI: | 10.1016/j.trf.2011.04.003 |
