Public transport: values ​​are the strongest drivers of behavior

Most people always think that there must be an incentive to change behavior. It cannot be said that it is wrong, after all, people are very dependent on habits. But the most effective way is the establishment of modern values.

Needs drive behavior, and needs are driven by values. What you really believe in, you will actively explore and practice. Do it often, do it seriously, enjoy doing it, and take pride in what you do.

Public transportation is exactly that. Contrasted with the transportation mode dominated by private vehicles in the last century, it is the correct value belonging to this era that urgently needs to practice sustainability. People not only need to change their habits, but also change their values.

Public construction, behavior change and value building go hand in hand and reinforce each other.

Taking myself as an example, the first ten years after Taiwan’s high-speed rail construction was completed and started to operate happened to be the period when I traveled most frequently from south to north. My base is in Kaohsiung. After taking the high-speed rail to other places, you must rely on local public transportation to reach your destination.

Around the same time, the Kaohsiung MRT also started operating. In the process of trying to use the MRT to move, it also began to re-explore the bus and use public bicycles as an aid.

It just so happens that consumer behavior, user experience and service experience are my majors. In the process of using public transportation, I try to observe and analyze the whole system as much as possible to establish my own point of view. This also allowed me to establish new connections in the field of transportation and have new opportunities for communication and learning.

That said, track building started to change my behavior. And I followed the behavior change to explore the public transportation system everywhere. Reflect on your own changes in the exploration, and finally lead to the transformation of values.

I’m pretty lucky. In the past 15 to 16 years, a large number of movements have been made with rail transportation as the backbone, and the entire transformation from habits to values ​​has been reversed. It also coincides with the trend of the times in pursuit of sustainability. Anyone who has known me long enough can witness this transformation.

But I also understand that most people’s work and life may still be driving or riding a motorcycle to and from several fixed points, so there are fewer opportunities for this kind of inspiration. How can most people establish new values ​​as soon as possible?

Low-cost commuter passes, whether regional or interregional, are a great opportunity to promote behavior change. In the past, the pricing was really only cost-effective for commuting. Nowadays (take Kaohsiung’s 399 yuan as an example) more people can use it.

Public transportation may not be as fast as people riding motorcycles from door to door, but time is not the only value. The safety brought by public transportation, the freedom and breadth of movement, the opportunities and fun of exploration, and the emotional communication with fellow travelers are all higher values.

Therefore, the government’s publicity should not only focus on prices. The focus should be on behavior and value change. It is necessary to “teach” the public to use monthly passes, which means to let them escape the stereotype of “commuting” and see more usage scenarios and methods. It is also necessary to guide the public to establish new values ​​​​in terms of value propositions, so that they feel that using public transportation is correct, modern and worthy of boasting.

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