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The individual person changing their commute doesn't capture the benefits of the change. If I take the bus, it takes one car off the road for everyone else, but

The individual person changing their commute doesn't capture the benefits of the change. If I take the bus, it takes one car off the road for everyone else, but it also makes my commute longer. Additionally, human beings aren't perfectly rational. Driving a car individually is like fast food, even if it were bad for you in real terms, people would still use it because it's easy and convenient. This is also behind the success of ride-sharing and food delivery apps. They put convenience front and center. IMHO, the way to change commuting behavior is to place an extreme bias on the right of way of mass transit methods. People will take the bus, if the bus doesn't have to wait in traffic. Then improve convenience with an app like interface that maps out transfers. Make it so taking a bus is as easy as taking an Uber/lyft. Then don't bother trying to change the habits of people who have already been commuting for a decade, instead try to accommodate the growing non-driving younger segment of the population. Make it so the college student doesn't have to buy that car to begin with, and their habits will stay with them as an adult.

toyg 7y ago
> Make it so the college student doesn't have to buy that car to begin with, and their habits will stay with them as an adult. This would also help revitalise small shops, which have been decimated by the combination of malls and internet shopping. Two birds with one stone. Sadly, all the moneyed interests are aligned against this model. > People will take the bus, if the bus doesn't have to wait in traffic. And if it's easy to hop on and off, and pay fees that are not extortionate. In the UK, just the other day, I took a bus to travel a path that I often do in a minicab or uber; it cost £ 2.90, where a minicab would have charged me £ 4.50. The difference in annoyance (walking to the stop, waiting in the cold, fumbling with wallet and cash, enduring nausea-inducing vibrations, figuring out the right time to call for the right stop, walking again in the cold...) was simply not worth the saving. I was actually annoyed by how such a basic service could be so expensive for casual use... yeah, I know the answer: casuals actually subsidize regulars, who get discounted fares and RFID cards. But that raises the barrier to adoption, which is Bad.
- eMSF 7y ago
  >walking to the stop, waiting in the cold, fumbling with wallet and cash, enduring nausea-inducing vibrations, figuring out the right time to call for the right stop, walking again in the cold... Wait: does the weather never get cold again if there's no fare, or are you actually implying that taking a bus isn't as comfortable as driving your own car, even if "transit" is done "right"? I could swear that's not the usual message to see in "transit" related HN threads. Anyway, I have to admit that were I asked how to reduce airport-related emissions, I might not have turned my eyes on employees cars first. Or perhaps even second.
- Leherenn 7y ago
  Some of those are just because the bus is badly designed. There's no reason you shouldn't be able to buy your ticket online, or through a Oyster-like card. Also, it's something that really surprised me when I was in the UK, there's absolutely no maps anywhere. Especially inside the bus. I was on GPS the whole time just to make sure I stopped at the correct place. I can understand not wanting to have a paper/hard coded map inside the bus if it does not run a regular line, but I'm sure they could devise something electronically...
dfxm12 7y ago
The individual person changing their commute doesn't capture the benefits of the change. FTA: "Car commuters report higher levels of stress and lower job satisfaction compared to train commuters — in large part because car commuting can involve driving in traffic and navigating tense road situations." Lowering stress and higher job satisfaction is a benefit.

toyg 7y ago

> Make it so the college student doesn't have to buy that car to begin with, and their habits will stay with them as an adult. This would also help revitalise small shops, which have been decimated by the combination of malls and internet shopping. Two birds with one stone. Sadly, all the moneyed interests are aligned against this model. > People will take the bus, if the bus doesn't have to wait in traffic. And if it's easy to hop on and off, and pay fees that are not extortionate. In the UK, just the other day, I took a bus to travel a path that I often do in a minicab or uber; it cost £ 2.90, where a minicab would have charged me £ 4.50. The difference in annoyance (walking to the stop, waiting in the cold, fumbling with wallet and cash, enduring nausea-inducing vibrations, figuring out the right time to call for the right stop, walking again in the cold...) was simply not worth the saving. I was actually annoyed by how such a basic service could be so expensive for casual use... yeah, I know the answer: casuals actually subsidize regulars, who get discounted fares and RFID cards. But that raises the barrier to adoption, which is Bad.

eMSF 7y ago
>walking to the stop, waiting in the cold, fumbling with wallet and cash, enduring nausea-inducing vibrations, figuring out the right time to call for the right stop, walking again in the cold... Wait: does the weather never get cold again if there's no fare, or are you actually implying that taking a bus isn't as comfortable as driving your own car, even if "transit" is done "right"? I could swear that's not the usual message to see in "transit" related HN threads. Anyway, I have to admit that were I asked how to reduce airport-related emissions, I might not have turned my eyes on employees cars first. Or perhaps even second.
Leherenn 7y ago
Some of those are just because the bus is badly designed. There's no reason you shouldn't be able to buy your ticket online, or through a Oyster-like card. Also, it's something that really surprised me when I was in the UK, there's absolutely no maps anywhere. Especially inside the bus. I was on GPS the whole time just to make sure I stopped at the correct place. I can understand not wanting to have a paper/hard coded map inside the bus if it does not run a regular line, but I'm sure they could devise something electronically...

dfxm12 7y ago

The individual person changing their commute doesn't capture the benefits of the change. FTA: "Car commuters report higher levels of stress and lower job satisfaction compared to train commuters — in large part because car commuting can involve driving in traffic and navigating tense road situations." Lowering stress and higher job satisfaction is a benefit.