How to hub as a policymaker Implementing mobility hubs to change car-usage habits: accelerating the green mobility transition

Cities are responsible for a significant share of global emissions and citizens experience the
growing consequences of global warming. Moving towards more sustainable mobility,
particularly through the reduction of private car usage, is essential for creating sustainable,
healthy and resilient cities. Multimodality is a highly anticipated means to reduce private car
usage as it combines the benefits of more sustainable mobility modes. Multimodality is
commonly facilitated through mobility hubs. The implementation of mobility hubs does,
however, not automatically result in significant changes in travel behaviour, largely due to
travel habits. Municipalities, and thereby policymakers, are struggling with how to
effectively implement mobility hubs to change private car-based travel habits in order to
stimulate the mobility transition. The aim of this research is to give insights into how
mobility hubs, and flanking policies, can best be implemented to stimulate mobility
behaviour to be less car-oriented. The research uses a mix of research methods. A literature
study is used to describe the theoretical background, expert interviews are conducted to
connect the study to practical insights and challenges, and a questionnaire with a stated
choice experiment (SCE) is used to test travel mode choice behaviour. In the SCE, individuals
are asked to indicate whether they would consider travelling by one of two hub alternatives
or stick to their usual mode of transport for different trip purposes. The hub attributes
considered are available mobility modes, presence of additional amenities, environment
characteristics, and travel costs and travel time compared to the usual mode of transport.
Next to the SCE, the questionnaire focusses on current mobility behaviour, and the support
and effect of flanking mobility policies. Based on the results, three different groups could be
identified based on their choice behaviour. One group consists of rigid usual transport mode
users, defined by families with children and individuals over the age of 65 years. The other
two groups would consider travelling by mobility hubs. These groups are generally younger,
and live in non-family households, alone or together with a partner. The SCE results are
tested against a case study of three recently implemented mobility hubs in Eindhoven to
show the practical implications of the results. This research adds to literature as well as
practice, by allowing better targeted mobility policy decision-making by municipalities.