Enhancing public transport use: The influence of soft pull interventions

Public transport (PT) success depends on targeted interventions, ranging first from push measures that discourage car use to pull measures that encourage PT use, and second from hard measures that intervene at physical infrastructures to soft measures that intervene at psychological elements of individuals' behaviors. Focusing on soft-pull policy measures, and through a scoping review of 36 publications, we categorize these measures into three overarching groups: 1) Internally motivating strategies that gradually but firmly instill pro-sustainability attitudes and norms in people's mind; 2) Satisfaction increasing strategies that primarily help retain current users especially those who feel forced to use PT and secondary attract new riders by improving the service factors and modifying travelers' inaccurate perceptions of the service; 3) Stimulating PT-use and car-habit disrupting strategies such as attractive incentives and tailored information that encourage auto-drivers to give PT a try and break their car-habit. This review provides an analytical evaluation of each approach, offering recommendations for policy makers and PT service providers, along with identifying research gaps and suggesting future research directions. •Non-physical soft-pull measures empower people to choose PT voluntarily.•Internally motivating, satisfaction increasing, and PT-use stimulating strategies.•Internally motivating strategies instill pro-sustainability attitudes and norms.•Satisfaction increasing measures help retain current users and attract new riders.•Stimulating strategies include attractive incentives that break car-use habits.