Can 'free' public transport realise a modal shift?
The Brussels-Capital Region is the largest employment area in Belgium and provides employment for 650,000 people. Less than half of these jobs are held by people living in the Brussels Region, a situation that results in serious mobility challenges. This study explores the modal shift potential of ‘free’ public transport for commuters in Brussels. However, this analysis can structure the way in which other cities are considering their mobility projections.
Price as a decisive factor?
The goal of this paper is to examine whether ‘free’ public
transport provision would be attractive enough to persuade more
commuters to use public transport instead of the car. The study is
based on the concept of a third-party payer system, implying that
an employer would reimburse travel costs – so that mobility is not
actually ‘free’, but paid for by someone other than the commuter.
The analysis is based on a stratified sample of 1276 entries,
collected in 2005: there are no recent data available, which is why
this study also emphasises the need to properly monitor mobility.
The study focussed on two groups, namely car and train users. What
are the main reasons for these groups of commuters to travel the
way they do, and is price a decisive factor?
Private sector mobility policies influential as well
It was concluded that 9% of car users would be willing to make a
modal shift if public transport is made ‘free’. For the remaining
91%, the main barriers preventing them from using public transport
are poor public transport connections. These numbers show there is
still a margin for pursuing a modal shift from car use to using
public transport. There seem to be two main ways to make public
transport more attractive to current car users: by lowering the
price of the services, or by improving connections.
However, it should be noted that the companies’ mobility policies
also have an influence on the commuting mode choice of their
employees. When the company provides company cars or a financial
reimbursement, employees tend to use their car for commuting. When
the company pursues a policy to encourage public transport,
employees are more likely to commute by public transport. In order
to alleviate road pressure, governments should thus team up with
the private sector in order to increase the number of employees
using public transport.
Contact
Astrid de Witte
Telephone: 0032 2 629 2047
E-mail: Astrid.De.Witte@vub.ac.be
Cathy Macharis
Telephone: 0032 2 629 22 86
E-mail: Cathy.Macharis@vub.ac.be
Document Type
Research Document
Publication Date
April 2010
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