Mode choice and mode commitment in commuters

In New Zealand, like many other developed countries, a majority of trips (67%) involve the use of private cars, producing negative effects on the environment and public health. Interventions aimed to reduce car use can be successful if we not only understand the reasons car users drive but also why other commuters use more sustainable alternatives. Although a range of possible motivating factors have been previously identified in the literature, the significance of the present study was to address the question of whether these motivating factors interact with each other to influence commuters' intentions to choose a particular mode for their daily commute. A sample of commuters completed an online survey and a subset completed a 1-week travel diary later. Social norms were a significant predictor of drivers' and car passengers' intentions to use the car, whereas ease-of-use was a significant predictor of drivers' intentions to drive and active commuters' intentions to walk or cycle. All commuters had comparable ecological beliefs and mode-related status which were not related to their intentions to use their travel modes. Although all the commuters were committed to their mode choice for daily commute, drivers and pedestrians were more likely to use only their respective travel modes for daily commute, whereas passengers, bus users, and cyclists were more likely to use a combination of several modes. Future research might productively explore subtypes of car commuters and additional analysis techniques to identify ways of nudging car commuters to reduce their car use in favour of sustainable alternatives.