Abstract
A field experiment was conducted to investigate the effects of economic disincentives on private car use. Eighty two-adult households who were owners of at least one car were randomly assigned to three experimental groups and one control group. Both experimental and control groups logged their car trips during one week before, one week during, and one week after treatment. The treatment consisted of charging two of the experimental groups approximately 100% of normal cost per kilometer of driving during 2 weeks, and charging the third experimental group this amount per kilometer of driving during 4 weeks. With the purpose of investigating whether deliberate planning increases the effect of economic disincentives, the households in one of the former and in the latter group were asked to fill out a prospective car log for the following week. The control group was not charged or requested to fill out a prospective car log but was in other respects treated in the same way. Analyses of the car logs and odometer readings during and at the end of treatment showed a weak reduction of car use due to the economic disincentives that however were almost completely dependent on planning.
This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.
Similar content being viewed by others
References
Ajzen I (1991) The theory of planned behavior. Organizational Behavior and Human Decision Processes 50: 179-211.
Bonsall PW & Palmer IA (1997) Do time-based road-user charges induce risk-taking? Results from a driving simulator. Traffic Engineering and Control: 200-208.
Bonsall PW, Palmer IA, Cho H-J & Thorpe N (1998) Experiments to Determine Drivers' Response to Road-user Charges. Paper presented at the 8th world conference of transport research, Antwerp, Belgium, July 12-17.
Dahlstrand U & Biel A (1997) Pro-environmental habit: Propensity levels in behavioural change. Journal of Applied Social Psychology 27: 588-601.
Doherty ST & Miller EJ (2000) A computerized household activity scheduling survey. Transportation 27: 75-97.
Dwyer WO, Leeming FC, Cobern MK, Porter BE & Jackson JM (1993) Critical review of behavioral interventions to preserve the environment. Environment and Behavior 25: 275-321.
Gärling T & Fujii S (2002) Structural equation modeling of determinants of planning. Scandinavian Journal of Psychology 43: 1-8.
Gärling T, Fujii S & Boe O (2001) Empirical tests of a model of determinants of script-based driving choice. Transportation Research Part F 4: 89-102.
Gärling T, Gärling A & Johansson A (2000) Household choices of car-use reduction measures. Transportation Research A 34: 309-320.
Gärling T, Gillholm R & Gärling A (1998) Reintroducing attitude theory in travel behavior research: The validity of an interactive interview procedure to predict car use. Transportation 25: 147-167.
Gärling T, Ettema D, Gillholm R & Selart M (1997). Towards a theory of the intention-behavior relationship with implications for the prediction of travel behavior. In: Hensher D, King J & Oum T (eds) World Transport Research: Proceedings of the 7th World Conference on Transport Research: Vol. 1. Travel Behaviour (pp. 231-240). Oxford: Pergamon.
Gollwitzer PM (1993) Goal achievement: The role of intentions. European Review of Social Psychology 4: 141-185.
Gollwitzer PM & Kinney RF (1989) Effects of deliberative and implemental mind-sets on the illusion of control. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology 54: 531-542.
Goodwin P (1996) Simple arithmetic. Transport Policy 3: 79-80.
Hug K, Mock-Hecker R & Würtenberger J (1997) Transport Demand Management by Electronic Fee Collection in a Zone-based Pricing Scheme, the Stuttgart Mobil PASS Field Trial. Technical Report, Research Institute for Applied Knowledge Processing (FAW), Ulm, Germany.
Jakobsson C, Fujii S & Gärling T (2000). Determinants of private car users' acceptance of road pricing. Transport Policy 7: 153-158.
Jones PM (1995). Road pricing: The public viewpoint. In: Johansson B & Mattsson L-G (eds) Road Pricing: Theory, Empirical Assessment, and Policy (pp. 159-179). Dordrecht, The Netherlands: Kluwer Academic Publishers.
Jones PM, Bradley M & Ampt ES (1989) Forecasting household response to policy measures using computerised, activity-based stated preference techniques. In: Travel Behavior Research (pp. 41-63). Aldershot, UK: Gower.
Lee-Gosselin MEH (1989) In-depth research on life style and household car use under future conditions in Canada. In: Travel Behavior Research (pp. 102-118). Aldershot, UK: Gower.
Odeck J & Bråthen S (1997) On public attitudes toward implementation of toll roads-the case of Oslo toll ring. Transport Policy 4: 73-83.
Ramjerdi F (1995). Road Pricing and Toll Financing-with Examples from Oslo and Stockholm, Doctoral thesis, Department of Infrastructure and Planning, Royal Institute of Technology, Stockholm, Sweden.
Ronis DL, Yates JF & Kirscht JP (1989) Attitudes, decisions, and habits as determinants of repeated behavior. In: Pratkanis AR, Breckler SJ & Greenwald AG (eds) Attitude Structure and Function (pp. 213-239). Hillsdale, NJ: Erlbaum.
Tertoolen G, Van Kreveld D & Verstraten B (1998) Psychological resistance against attempts to reduce private car use. Transportation Research A 32: 171-181.
Verplanken B, Aarts H & van Knippenberg A (1997) Habit, information acquisition, and the process of making travel mode choices. European Journal of Social Psychology 27: 539-560.
Verplanken B, Aarts H, van Knippenberg A & van Knippenberg C (1994) Attitude versus general habit: Antecedents of travel mode choice. Journal of Applied Social Psychology 24: 285-300.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Corresponding author
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Jakobsson, C., Fujii, S. & Gärling, T. Effects of economic disincentives on private car use. Transportation 29, 349–370 (2002). https://doi.org/10.1023/A:1016334411457
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1023/A:1016334411457