Driving change : how workplace benefits can nudge solocar commuters toward sustainable modes; How workplace benefits can nudge solo car commuterstoward sustainable modes
2018
This thesis investigates the role that employer
benefits can play in encouraging commuters to use sustainable modes
of transportation, motivated by the increasing cost of parking
provision at urban workplaces and the broader potential for travel
demand management strategies to mitigate traffic congestion and
pollution. In this research, case studies are conducted at two
urban employers in Greater Boston. At the Massachusetts Institute
of Technology (MIT) and at Partners HealthCare, employee
transportation benefits were recently enhanced to encourage
alternatives to driving. MIT, concerned about an upcoming reduction
in parking supply, announced in 2016 that it would provide its more
than ten thousand staff with a fully-subsidized local transit pass.
In an agreement with the transit agency, MIT only pays for transit
trips taken, thereby avoiding the expense of monthly passes for
non-riders while providing universality of coverage. For drivers,
MIT eliminated annual parking permits in favor of daily,
pay-as-you-park pricing to encourage multi-modality. The net result
was an eight percent reduction in parking demand in the first year,
at a net cost to MIT of about $200 per employee. Transit agency
revenue increased as ridership among MIT employees rose
approximately ten percent. Partners HealthCare was motivated to
reduce its employee parking demand in the midst of consolidating
fourteen administrative worksites to a new facility in Somerville,
MA, and faced cityƯimposed parking restrictions. Like MIT, it
introduced daily parking pricing, but tied the rates to employee
income as an equity measure. Unlike MIT, it did not offer a
universal transit pass, but increased monthly pass subsidies. With
the new facility located along the MBTA Orange Line, there was a
marked increase in transit ridership among employees who used to
work in the suburbs, and today parking demand is well below
anticipated levels. The thesis supplements these case studies with
a randomized controlled experiment on two thouƯsand MIT car
commuters, investigating how behavioral 'nudges' can further
encourage reductions in driving. While no statistically significant
reductions in parking were observed during the experiment, the
combination of token monetary rewards and informational nudges
appeared most effective at shifting travel behavior. This research
illustrates the potential for travel demand management strategies
to influence commuter mode choice, but reinforces the importance of
carefully considering implementation deƯtails such as cost salience
and user experience. Long-term success appears dependent on
building a constituency of support for such strategies among
employer, commuter and government stakeholders.
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