Fare rebates for early subway exits moved commuters' trips earlier, and it lasted

The study

1. 01

   Who took part

   348 people in Singapore who rode the subway regularly at the morning peak. Their average age was about 36, and 58% to 68% were women, depending on the group.

2. 02

   What they did

   The early group got a full rebate for leaving before 7:45 a.m., and a 50-cent rebate until 8:00 a.m. The late group got a full rebate before 8:00 a.m., and a 50-cent rebate until 8:15 a.m. A third group paid the normal fare. The rebates ran for 10 weeks, and the two rebate groups got weekly emails about what they had earned.

3. 03

   What happened

   During the 10 weeks, rebate-group trips were 2%, 5.5% and 4.2% more likely to end before 7:45, 8:00 and 8:15 a.m. Those were compared with trips by people who paid the normal fare. Seven months after the rebates ended, they were still 2.1% and 4% more likely to end before 7:45 and 8:00 a.m. The early and late cutoffs made no clear difference to each other. Nearly half the people had no travel records in the last 30 days of the study.

What the study found

1. Helped

   Fare rebates for leaving the subway before a set time moved people's trips earlier while they lasted.

   • Rule: Get a reward or payment for doing ittested

   Randomised trial of 348 subway commuters in Singapore · vs people who paid the normal fare · behaviour was recorded · ⚠ many people dropped out

2. Helped

   Seven months after the rebates ended, people still finished trips before the cutoff more often.

   • Rule: Get a reward or payment for doing ittested

   Randomised trial of 348 subway commuters in Singapore · vs people who paid the normal fare · behaviour was recorded · ⚠ many people dropped out

Source