New behavioural framework
Redefined how TfL understands and influences travel behaviour, moving beyond information provision towards targeted behavioural intervention.
Our work
Changing travel behaviour by intervening at the moment of choice
A leading transport provider partnered with 2CV to better understand how people really decide how to travel and identify opportunities to encourage greater use of public transport.
In a post-pandemic environment where habits, routines and car dependency had become deeply embedded, the challenge was to uncover the behavioural drivers behind travel decisions and create more effective ways to influence them.
Sector:
Transport & Public Services
Market:
UK
Expertise:
Behavioural Insight, Customer Journey Research, Behavioural Change Strategy
The Challenge
The transport provider needed to increase public transport usage in a landscape where many travel decisions felt automatic and non-negotiable.
Traditional approaches often assumed that people made rational choices based on information and available options. However, changing travel patterns, entrenched habits and post-COVID behaviours suggested a more complex reality.
The challenge was to understand how travel decisions were actually made and where meaningful intervention could influence behaviour.
Our approach
We designed an immersive research programme focused on capturing travel decisions as they happened, rather than relying on retrospective explanations.
Our work included:
- Auto-ethnographic research documenting real-world travel choices
- In-depth interviews exploring journeys and non-journeys
- Analysis of behavioural triggers, routines and decision-making shortcuts
- Development of a behavioural framework mapping how travel choices are formed and reinforced over time
This provided a deeper understanding of the factors influencing transport decisions in everyday life.
The Results
1.1 million additional journeys
Insights directly informed the Car Driver Nudges campaign, helping encourage greater public transport use across London.
£4.85 return for every £1 invested
Behavioural interventions delivered measurable commercial impact and demonstrated the value of insight-led behaviour change.
The bold decision
We challenged the assumption that people make rational transport choices.
Instead, our research showed that travel decisions are often fast, instinctive and habit driven. By identifying the moments when habits are formed, reinforced or disrupted, we uncovered new opportunities for intervention at the point of decision-making.
This shifted the focus from providing more information to influencing behaviour at the moments that matter most.