Transportation

Behavioral Science to Influence Transportation Decisions

Transforming the Way We Move 

How we get around has a massive impact on greenhouse gas emissions. 

Many cities and other institutions are working to shift transportation habits to reduce emissions. BEAR Hub can help apply behavioral science to reduce single-occupancy vehicle trips and encourage public transportation, biking, walking, or carpooling. When driving is necessary, we can help tailor training opportunities for drivers of cars, buses, trucks, or other vehicles that teach fuel-efficient operation. We can also help develop strategies to change more significant decisions, such as a household’s choice to buy an EV or plug-in hybrid (or not buy a vehicle at all).  

Our approach considers communities' diverse needs, promoting equitable, practical solutions that make sustainable transportation more accessible for everyone. 

Have a transportation program you'd like to talk to us about?

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Case Study from Transportation

This case study demonstrated BEAR Hub's five-step approach for applying behavioral science.

transportation

The Buy-In Effect 

The Oregon Department of Transportation (ODOT) wanted to reduce single-occupancy vehicle commuting.  

Together with Ashley Whillans (BEAR Hub advisor) at the Harvard Business School, ODOT focused on encouraging carpooling and centered their efforts on a group of drivers that were most likely to follow through: commuters already using an old carpooling software platform. 

STEP 1: IDENTIFY A SPECIFIC BEHAVIOR TO CHANGE 

The program's target was to increase carpooling among employees transitioning from the old carpool platform to a new one called Get There Connect.  

STEP 2: IDENTIFY BARRIERS & BENEFITS FOR THE TARGET AUDIENCE 

Based on observations of current platform users, the team speculated that enrollment was too easy. With such little effort, most people enrolled without a strong intention to actually use the tool. There were more enrollments but there was less participation.    

STEP 3: BRAINSTORM, PRIORITIZE & SELECT BEHAVIOR CHANGE STRATEGIES 

ODOT, Professor Whillans, and her team decided to test whether adding friction during the initial sign-up process could increase long-term engagement with the platform. 

STEP 4: IMPLEMENT THE BEHAVIOR CHANGE STRATEGIES 

The researchers implemented a field experiment with over 27,000 employees. Some received a streamlined sign-up process (just creating a password), while others had a more effortful process (entering account details and creating a password).  

STEP 5: EVALUATE THE PROGRAM TO ITERATE AND IMPROVE 

While fewer people registered following the effortful sign-up, the increased usage among those who signed up more than compensated for the lower enrollment: the higher-effort approach resulted in 1.6 times more carpool trips per day over four months. Despite fewer registrations, the more effortful sign-up process yielded 795 more trips out of the 9,417 total observed trips, saving approximately 8,975 miles of travel. 

The effects persisted even after eight months, demonstrating that strategically adding friction during onboarding can lead to sustained behavior change in transportation programs. The benefits of increased engagement outweigh the costs of reduced initial participation. 

 (More details about this behavior-change strategy can be found here). 

Partner with us

We’re here to help you apply behavioral science to your energy programs and challenges.   

Consider applying for our no-cost ongoing technical assistance program, where you can receive 4-6 months of: 

  • behavioral insights to enhance your programs 
  • implementation support 
  • collaboration on innovative solutions and pilot projects