Avocet Line Research Project

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Avocet Line Research Project

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About ICE

• Insight-led behaviour change -

‘people-shaped’ approach

• Fully integrated agency

• Multi-disciplinary team of over

40 specialists

• Behavioural insight, strategic planning,

creative, marcomms, engagement,

digital, social marketing, organisational

development, service redesign

• Cumbria, Cheshire, Leicester,

Coventry, Bristol and London

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Behavioural insight

• Why? Helping our clients make the best informed decisions, based on truths not assumptions, to achieve desired behaviour change and outcomes

• How? We put ourselves ‘in their shoes’ through a unique practice of innovative qualitative, ethnographic and psychotherapy research combined with the latest behavioural economics and social science

• What? We challenge assumptions and conventional thinking to better understand people’s behaviour and, most importantly, what this means for our clients

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Our experience

• Proven experience, expertise and innovation in customer insight and travel behaviour change

• Recent clients include Somerset County Council, Airbus, and North Bristol NHS Trust

• Also worked for the Olympic Delivery Authority, Transport for London, Arriva Trains, Rail Safety and Standards Board, Office of Rail Regulation, Merseytravel, Liverpool City Council, Abu Dhabi Department of Transport, and many more

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Context

• Maximise patronage on the Avocet Line (Exeter -

Exmouth) on Sundays - Community Rail line requiring an

uplift of 200+ passengers each Sunday

• Support a more frequent (half-hourly), commercially

viable Sunday service all year round - campaigned for by

Avocet Line Rail User Group (ALRUG)

• Capitalise on new markets, e.g. housing developments

and station at Newcourt, Polsloe Bridge has untapped

potential

• Make the best informed strategic decisions to achieve

desired and sustainable passenger growth on Sundays

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How? Research methodology

• Desk based research

• Observational research

• In-depth audience insight and co-creation

• Application of behavioural science

• Recommendations

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How? Research methodology

• Use innovative clean language, laddering and projective interview techniques

• Elicit the most salient and subconscious attitudes, beliefs, motivations, emotions, feelings and values

• Exchange analysis of actual/perceived benefits vs. barriers of using Avocet Line on Sundays

• Benefits, attributes, consequences and values of using Sunday service (current passengers) - maximise

• Competition, barriers and disincentives (potential passengers) - minimise

• Co-creation - participants share, collaborate, develop and refine ideas to increase passenger growth

• Behavioural science – Findings were analysed in relation to widely used theories of human behaviour

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Observational research – ride along

• 12 trips made between Exeter (St David’s / Central)

and Exmouth on a Sunday

• Overall impression is of “The Happy Line” – social,

scenic, cheerful

• Very quiet on occasions (08.30 from Exeter,

13.58 from Exmouth)

• Very busy on occasions (11.22 from Exeter “The family

day out train”, 1723 from Exmouth emptied at Topsham)

• Main activities and observations included in the

following word cloud:

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Observational research – word cloud

alone (70) bike (6) busy (1) chat (72) cormorants (1)

delayed (1) double buggy (1) eating (8) empty (2)

family (82)

friends (124)

heron (1) festival (1) foreign students (1)

kayaks (1) laceration (1) large group (1)

music (11)

quiet (2)

reading (6)

sleeping (2)

makeup (1)

scenery (39)

smartphone (31)

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Regular users on a Sunday

1

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Current users – Typical Sunday

Things to do that people use train to get to

Exploring surroundings/beaches

• “Well I usually have a one day

trip on Sundays because it is a

very short time I am here, so I

love exploring the

surroundings”

FGW_IG01_Exmouth_RRU

• “Yes and just hanging out

finding a relaxing place or an

enjoyable place in terms of

relaxing and something

cultural, interesting to visit

and whatever.”






love exploring the

surroundings”







and whatever.”






love exploring the

surroundings”







and whatever.”


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Current users – Typical Sunday

Local pubs • “I like going to Exeter Quay, just to like some of the cafes and bars around Exeter. And

we are located quite close to the train station…so it is nice and handy…it is quite nice to actually see other things that are not on your doorstep because I have done so much in Exmouth but now I am doing a bit more in Exeter.” FGW_IG01_Exmouth_RRU

Food/eating out/coffee • “A typical Sunday morning would be – well, we always fit in coffee somewhere, so

possibly a trip to Exmouth or into town for coffee.” FGW_02_Newcourt_RRU

Commuting • “Yes, I work in Exeter, so most Sundays I go into Exeter working.”


Bike rides/cycling • “We often go cycling on Sundays, and sometimes we use the train as a means to get to

the start of the ride, if that’s possible…Sometimes it’s not.” FGW_02_Exmouth_RRU

Time with friends and family • “It’s me and my husband or we might see family. We might be going down to

Plymouth or Cornwall or see family in Exeter, or we might be seeing friends.” FGW_04_Newcourt_RRU

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Current users – Experience of the Avocet line Positive

Beautiful/scenic

• “It is a beautiful line. It is the

best, so beautiful to look at;

look at the sea, it is so

relaxing”

FGW_02_Exmouth_RRU

• “It's also just a great train

ride. It's an easy ride, short

trip, down to Exmouth with

great views.”

FGW_03_Exeter_RRU

• “Open windows: You can open

the windows which I really

like that you can actually

physically open them”

FGW_02_Exmouth_RRU

Station located conveniently –

close to amenities

• “Proximity to where I live. It

is pretty reliable, really, and

it’s the quickest way of getting

to town. Even if were on a bus

route it would be quicker,

cheaper, and a lot more

pleasant.”

FGW_05_Exmouth_RRU

Can consume alcohol

• “If you are going to go out in

the night-time you don’t have

to worry about having a

drink because you are on the

train. It doesn’t matter if you

are having one or two

drinks.”


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Current users – Experience of the Avocet line Positive

Quicker than driving/

no parking issues

• “If I drove to work it would

take so much longer, so I

always get the train.”


• “I drive to Exeter occasionally

when, but if I need to, if I am

going to outside of Exeter. But

if I am going to Central

Exeter, it is so much easier to

just sit on a train for 20 to 25

minutes I think then driving

“FGW_IG01_Exmouth_RRU

Cost – cheap and more cost

effective than travel by car

• “That’s from Newcourt to Central,

because it’s such good value. You

couldn’t do it in a car and it’s much

less stress, as long as the trains are

running on time.”

FGW_04_Newcourt_RRU

• “Finding parking, pay for parking. It

works out more money than if you get

the train” FGW_IG01_Exmouth_RRU

• “The prices are great. I think the

prices are very, very good…”

FGW_03_Exeter_RRU

• “I think £4.20 is actually pretty good,

to be honest.”

FGW_02_Exmouth_RRU

• “Avoiding the crowds and fantastic

value for money.”

FGW_01_Newcourt_RRU

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Current users – Experience of the Avocet line

Staff – polite/helpful

• “They are really, really nice, very polite,

always cheerful and very understanding.

If there is a problem of any sort, if your

money has got stuck in the machine or for

whatever reason really, they don’t say,

“Right, you’ve got to pay the penalty,”

they’re very understanding. I’ve observed

them with other passengers and yes;

they’re really nice.”

FGW_04_Newcourt_RRU

• “Staff are extremely pleasant as well,

they’re always happy to have a chat and

welcome you or say goodbye when you

get off the train, so that’s important as

well…Because it’s not necessarily the

norm nowadays and I think it’s evident

that there must be some sort of good

training somewhere for the First Great

Western staff to welcome and engage in

conversation if appropriate”

FGW_01_Newcourt_RRU

Would prefer to get train but

sometimes can’t

• “I am going to Cornwall this weekend,

this one coming and I finally had to

hire a car because it would be too

difficult to go by train. It would be

wonderful because of the views and

whatever but it would be really

difficult to manage with the times and

the changes and whatever. So that is a

shame.”


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Current users – Experience of the Avocet line Issues identified

Problems getting tickets – some stations don’t have manned

ticket booths/ ticket machines don’t work • “They’ve joined me at that point, and I haven’t been able to buy a ticket for them either then

or at the destination, because the ticket office has been shut.” FGW_02_Exmouth_RRU

• “I wondered if it might be an old reconditioned one actually because it isn’t very good really”

FGW_04_Newcourt_RRU

• “they never get to the people who got on, say, at Topsham or Exton, and haven't got a ticket”

FGW_03_Exeter_RRU

• “There's no machine at St James Park, no. St James, Polsloe, Topsham, towards Exmouth,

hasn't got one. Exton hasn't got one, nor has Lympstone.” FGW_03_Exeter_RRU

• “It’s a very bad experience. There’s no ticket machine at our local station, which means that

we have to rely on being able to purchase them from the conductor, who is not always in that

part of the train or he doesn’t always come out to sell tickets.” FGW_05_Exmouth_RRU

Trains busy • “You encourage someone to use the train, and they come back saying they had to stand all

the way, and they're not very happy at all” FGW_03_Exeter_RRU

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Current users – Experience of the Avocet line Issues identified

Problems with

bikes/prams/wheelch

airs • “we’ve had to miss the train before

because you can’t get the bike on

and yes it is nice to have room.”


• “My partner has trouble because he

has a bike so he has had to miss a

train before because you couldn’t

get on the bike or also there is lots

of Marines.”

FGW_01_Newcourt_RRU

Timetable

Trains not early enough on Sunday

– “but the train isn’t early enough

for him so, yes because he starts

work at 6:00 am.”

– FGW_IG01_Exmouth_RRU

Would like more frequent

– “They're only hourly. I'm never

happy with that, because obviously,

I'd much rather have a half-hourly

train.” FGW_03_Exeter_RRU

– “I think the frequency is an issue,

particularly for people who are

travelling longer distances…Train

on a Sunday have a pretty bad

name, and not unjustifiably so.

A lot of engineering work takes

place on Sundays, frequencies are

less.” FGW_05_Exmouth_RRU

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Current users – Experience of the Avocet line

Reasons for use

Quick, cheap, convenient

and reliable

• “Getting from A to B quickly,

cheaply and reliably…less stress.”

FGW_01_Newcourt_RRU

• “Proximity to where I live. It is pretty

reliable, really, and it’s the quickest

way of getting to town. Even if were

on a bus route it would be quicker,

cheaper, and a lot more pleasant.”

FGW_05_Exmouth_RRU

Scenic route

• “I think if it went through cuttings

or more industrial areas between

those wonderful views of the estuary

and the fields, I think it would be a

much different line, and I probably

wouldn’t pop down to Exmouth quite

as often as I do.”

FGW_03_Exeter_RRU

Frequency of Sunday use

On average current users

used the Avocet line on 1-3

Sundays a month, most commonly

2 Sundays a month.

• “On a Sunday in particular,

it’s difficult to say really, probably

two out of four, so twice a month

we would use the train.”

FGW_01_Newcourt_RRU

Frequency of use is dependent on

what they are doing

• “There will be occasionally times

when I never have to go, it just

depends when I am not working.”


• “It depends what we’re doing,

because it’s quite flexible.”

FGW_02_Exmouth_RRU

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Non users on a Sunday

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Non-users - Why do they use their current method of travel?

Close enough to walk

“I walk there. I haven't got a car.

So I walk there.”

FGW_IG02_Exmouth_NRU

“Most of the things I can walk to.

If I go to my parents, they'll

come and pick me up or

sometimes go on the bus.

But they live over at Budleigh.

So they usually come and collect

me.” FGW_IG02_Exmouth_NRU

Enjoy cycling

“I can ride to places, I can get

almost anywhere faster in

Exeter on my bike than I can in

the car, and then you’ve got to

pay for parking, and the traffic

jams are just hideous, it really is.

Yes, I’m not a fan of the car.”

FGW_IG04_Digby_NRU

Free bus pass

“I've got a point, when I go into

Exeter now I use the buses

because I've got a senior citizen's

card. Why can't the trains do

something similar?”

FGW_IG03_Newcourt_NRU

“I go on the bus sometimes,

because I can get it for

free…Depending where I’m

going in town.”


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Non-users - Why do they use their current method of travel? Drive

Closer to location

• “for short distance train isn’t as

good as bus, I don’t think. Because

it’s not as specific to a location.

Whereas you can go to every area

of Exeter on a bus, by just getting a

bus into town.”

FGW_IG05_PolsloeBridge_NRU

• “I know where there's free parking.

I know if it's just for a couple of

hours. If you're going to come back

with shopping and stuff, then it's

convenient as well.”


Flexible

• “You just have to organise your life aroun

the fact that they’re only once an hour.”


• “Mainly my car is just there. I can go

wherever I want to go. I haven't got to

necessarily walk from where I can go

into the train station. It's just

convenience really. You know, it's easier.

If you're doing your shopping, straight

in the car, straight to the house.”


• “you've got to plan your day around

the train…Whereas if it's the car you

can just come and go when you want.”


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Non-users - Why do they use their current method of travel? Drive (cont.)

Take dogs

“Drive, because I’ve

got two little dogs so

I tend to drive.”

FGW_IG04_Digby_

NRU

A lot to carry

“If you've got a lot to

carry, by the time

you walk to the

station you carry it

on the train, then

you've got to carry it

home from the

station, whereas in

the car you literally

park outside your

door, so there's that

bonus for people not

to carry.”

FGW_IG04_Digby_

NRU

Price

“That’s the reason

we won’t use it on a

Sunday, is because

it’s too much cheaper

for us to drive

somewhere, than it is

for three of us to get

the train

somewhere.”

FGW_IG03_

Newcourt_NRU

Weather

“If it’s raining I’ll jump

in the car because it’s a

10-minute walk to the

train station”

FGW_IG04_Digby_

NRU

“If it’s bad weather, you

are kind of, say if you’re

wanting to go to one

end of town, and the

train station’s the other

end of town. If I was

going up to John Lewis,

then I would park up

that end of town so I

was not having to go in

the rain too much.”

FGW_IG03_Newcourt

_NRU

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Non-users – Perceived benefits of train travel vs driving

Costs less than

parking in city centre

“I suppose it's cheaper than parking

right in city centre in Exeter”


Removes pressure

to find parking

“But I think once you get to Exeter

as well, you haven't got that pressure

of thinking about the car all day and

putting more money on the car park.

You've just got to remember when the

train times are.”


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Non-users – Perceived barriers to train travel

Uncertainty

Tickets

• “you're queuing and you're worried that the train’s going to be coming and you can’t get your

ticket and you’ll get a fine when you get on board.” FGW_IG04_Digby_NRU

Space

• “maybe if it was a little bit more disability friendly as well, I think it would be better.”


• “Sometimes there's never anybody on central to come back, there's not enough room.

I have a bike and stuff and there's not enough room. Everyone is standing up and that

happens quite a lot you know?” FGW_IG03_Newcourt_NRU

• “I've only been refused once, but many times it's been a struggle to get on and out with the

pushchairs and with the prams. There's not enough room.” FGW_IG03_Newcourt_NRU

• “Oh I’m anxious all of the time, because I’m worried about the pushchair to start with,

and is it a one-step or a two-step train” FGW_IG03_Newcourt_NRU

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Non-users – Perceived barriers to train travel Previous bad experience

Fines

“but the thing is, there’s all these signs up

saying “If you get on the train without a

ticket, you’re going to get an instant

fine”.” FGW_IG03_Newcourt_NRU

“When my son was 16 he went on the

train and he pressed the child button and

when he got on the train they fined him

£20 because he thought he had to be 18

because he wasn’t used to using the train,

so he pressed that. Luckily, I’d given him a

£20 note as pocket money and he had to

give it to the man as a fine on the spot. I

was so cross because I thought he doesn't

know, he’s only 16.”

FGW_IG04_Digby_NRU

Staff

“I don't know how to say it, my eldest

son again, he went to Exmouth and he put

£10 in to buy a ticket to the lady at the booth.

She took it and she said he hadn’t given it

to her. It was a really bizarre thing so I

had to drive out and pick him up, and they

said that he hadn’t given them the money

but he had…it was the only money he had.

He described the lady when I said who it

was, and apparently she said you've haven't

given me the money. I found it really strange

because my son’s very honest, and that was

Exmouth. Kind of puts me off.”

FGW_IG04_Digby_NRU

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Regular users vs non users

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Regular Avocet Line users are doing the same things as non users on a ‘Typical Sunday’

Regular Avocet Line users on a Sunday

Non-users on a Sunday

Shopping ✔ ✔

Visiting friends and family

✔

✔

Day trips / area visit ✔

✔

Commuting ✔

✔

To go cycling ✔

✔

Food/eating out/coffee ✔ ✔

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Reality of regular use vs perception of train travel for non-regular users

Current users commented on planning days

around train times whereas non-users

commented on flexibility

“Again, I'm used to planning it, and I think most people who travel by train will.

They'll say they're going on the two o'clock train and they're going to come home on the

five o'clock train. I think the majority of people plan their journey, so they know when the

trains are going to travel.” FGW_03_Exeter_RRU

“It does require a bit of forward planning, which when you’ve got small children

it’s not my forte necessarily.” FGW_IG03_Newcourt_NRU

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However there are some key differences between the Reality vs the Perception of train travel on a Sunday

Regular users Non-regular users

Flexible Inflexible ✖

Cheaper than driving More expensive than driving ✖

Goes where I want to go Can’t get to where you want to go ✖

Staff are friendly Staff are unfriendly ✖

More scenic More scenic ✔

Quick Quick ✔

Capacity is an issue Capacity is an issue ✔

Can’t take dogs / bike / shopping Can’t take dogs / bike / shopping ✔

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Co-creation sessions – how can we make it

better?

4

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Co create – increasing patronage

Things to do that could use train to get to

Timetables

“Oh, I think it can be very

daunting for people. I met

somebody on one of the stations

who just couldn't make sense of

the timetable they were looking

at.” FGW_03_Exeter_RRU

“Make the times more clearer.”


Stations are poorly signposted

“I think in one way, it's simply

putting up signs, so there are

signs pointing to the station.

People will go, "Oh, there's a

station down there. I didn't know

there was a station down there,"

sort of thing. They would maybe

then make some enquiries about

it.” FGW_03_Exeter_RRU

Prices are confusing

“I think, also, maybe people

outside, who don't travel by

train, first of all, possibly,

think it's expensive”

FGW_03_Exeter_RRU

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Co create – increasing patronage

Railcards and

discounts

“I don't know how many times

I’ve bought two tickets,

nobody’s ever mentioned to

me the Two Together

Railcard. Why haven't they

done that? Then maybe next

time I would have travelled by

train instead of getting in my

car.”

FGW_IG04_Digby_NRU

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Railcards and discounts:what is available to me?

• 2Together Railcard

• Family and Friends

• Group ticket

• Booking ahead

• Tesco Clubcard Points

• Student deals via College

• 16-25 YP card

• Devon & Cornwall Ticket

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Co create – increase patronage

Increase awareness (cont.) – Local events

• “Like what is going on in Exeter, why do you want to get on that train journey? Making a big deal about it so you notice.” FGW_IG01_Exmouth_RRU

• “Yes. I think if the sporting events themselves made more of the fact that they're so easily reached by train.” FGW_05_Exmouth_RRU

• “Doing something say on the bottom “Get there by on this line at these times to get there on time.” I don’t know how they would probably go about that but maybe say working with them. So when there is an advert, maybe something saying that you can go on this day, get on that route and be there on time. A good way of doing it.” FGW_IG01_Exmouth_RRU

• “knowing that there is something to do at the end of that line, when you get to somewhere, rather than kind of, we wouldn’t necessarily think of getting the train to somewhere that we didn’t particularly know…What’s here, or is there something within walking distance? And what if we miss our train home?” FGW_IG03_Newcourt_NRU

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Co create – increase patronage

Price

“kind of off peak Sunday rates or

something. Or family rates or something.

Just some kind of thing, yes. If there was

some kind of incentive.”


“I think it’s quite a reasonable price,

really, considering if you wanted to go

into Exeter and have to park for two or

three hours. It’s probably equivalent to the

parking charges… I would say to people,

“It’s really convenient if you live in

Exmouth. It’s right in the centre of the

town. And it’s equivalent to parking for

three hours, so why bother driving and

having all the hassle?””

FGW_02_Exmouth_RRU

Convenience

No need to park

“I think pointing out that the journey is

cheaper and quicker than potentially

sitting in traffic in the car, and then

struggling to find a space in town, and

having your screaming child in the back,

because they just want to get out.”


Scenic route

Beautiful views

“they should publish photographs of the

route showing just how amazing it is.

The view opens up over Topsham and

the light on the water, I mean you could

send photographers down there”


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Behavioural Science

5

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What influences travel behaviours?

• Attitudes – Attitudes and perceptions of modes of travel strongly influence travel behaviours – Often rational but based on our own rules of thumb (heuristics)

• Emotions – Emotions play a key role in attitude formation and can change the way we think and make choices. Bad experiences make angry/upset/unhappy

• Social, cultural and moral norms – Individuals behaviour can be strongly influenced by behaviour of others (learning through vicarious experience - observations)

• Structural factors – External conditions such as household make up (presence of children) and income

• Cost – Railcards, offers

• Knowledge and awareness – Awareness of benefits, what’s on, price, convenience.

• Capability and self efficacy – Do individuals think they have the capability to travel by train (cost, time, convenience)

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What influences travel behaviours?

– Habits are routine, automatic and

subconscious

– Habits become a key barrier to

rational travel choices (e.g. cost,

time and convenience judgments)

as they prevent individuals from

questioning their current behaviour

and thus considering alternatives

– Individuals ‘locked in’ to patterns of

behaviour – feel they have a lack of

choice given their journey distances,

time constraints or perceptions of

public transport

Habits play

a key role in

transport choices

(regular journeys

are normally

always habitual

behaviour)

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Heuristics and Cognitive biases

– There is a tendency to want things to

stay the same (maintain current

routine), selecting the default option

where available.

– Change from default is considered

a loss.

– Individuals are twice as likely to act

to avoid a loss than to obtain a gain.

– Communicate what individuals are

losing (e.g. time, money) by not

changing to train travel rather than

what they could gain - framing

Status quo

bias: Individuals

have a tendency

to default to

current position

rather than

change.

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Pre-contemplation

Contemplation

Preparation

Action

Maintenance

Progress Prochaska and Di Clemente’s

Transtheoretical Model of

Behaviour Change, also known as

the ‘Stages of Change’ model

Relapse

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Move potential passengers from Pre-contemplative to Contemplative

Pre-contemplative

potential

passengers

NOT thinking

about using the

Avocet Line on

Sunday

Contemplative

potential

passengers NOW

thinking about

using the Avocet

Line on Sunday

Generate the idea

and a reason to

travel

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Recommendations

6

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Recommendations

We have already seen the Avocet Line goes to where most

non-rail users want to go and allows them to do what they

want to do on Sundays

We need to:

– Overcome their misconceptions

– Reassure them it will be simple

– Show them compelling reasons to travel

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Make it FUN, EASY and POPULAR

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Make it FUN: Give them a reason Promotions of local events, sales, activities, gigs, shows etc at both Exeter and Exmouth

(and locations in between)

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Make it EASY

- Clear ticketing information including

discount cards

- Make it easier to get a ticket

- Offer reassurance over staff, fines etc

- “Buggies, dogs and bikes welcome”

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Make it POPULAR

• Existing customers will be happy with:

– Better rolling stock

– More capacity

– More frequency on a Sunday

– Small price increase will not be a barrier

thank you

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Avocet Line Research Project

Documents

Transcript of Avocet Line Research Project