Getting paid when travelling outside rush hour!
Wouldn’t you begin your commute earlier or later if you had a chance of winning up to about 600 euros? Fed up with packed trains and metros during morning peak periods? Then read on. A solution may be at hand.
The Dutch Railways (NS) and public transport undertakings Veolia and Syntus will launch a large-scale test as of September 2012, in which commuters are encouraged to opt for off-peak travel. The test period will last four months and will take place in five Dutch regions: Arnhem-Nijmegen, Roermond andMaastricht, theAmsterdam region, Overijssel andGelderland.
In recent months 35,000 season ticket holders were contacted by the public transport companies to participate in the trial. Each time they avoid the rush hour they will receive an amount of three to seven euros, depending on the distance they travel. The amount can add up to about 600 euros.
Researchers at StanfordUniversityconducted a driver incentive experiment aimed at seeing whether peak-period traffic congestion around campus could be reduced. The city ofSingapore ran a similar experiment.
This kind of incentives can at least be considered as alternative to proposed disincentives such as congestion charges which most people hate.
More information:
A review of policy and economic instruments for peak demand management in commuter rail / Institute of Transport studies (Monash), 2010
Study by NUS and Stanford to Encourage Off-peak Rail Travel in Singapore
EP Library summary on Free public transport in Europe / Geert Plas
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