Nudging responsible car-sharing behaviors among Modo users

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Car-sharing provides an affordable, convenient, and environmentally-friendly mode of personal transportation. Modo is one of the oldest car-sharing providers in the world and a Vancouver cooperative. However, Modo is facing irresponsible vehicle use from its members. Specifically, Modo members often fail to remove their detritus from the vehicle upon completion of their trip. This irresponsible behavior presents a dilemma to Modo, where the cost of hiring more staff to clean the vehicles is prohibitive and the poor condition of the vehicles is decreasing their appeal. The current project uses an innovative behavioral economics approach to develop simple nudges to change user behavior to encourage responsible car-sharing among Modo members. Specifically, we design two nudges based on member responsibility and personal convenience by: (1) providing a reminder card in the vehicle to emphasize the responsibility to keep the vehicle clean, and (2) providing a garbage bin at the vehicle parking spot to make personal detritus disposal more convenient. We will test the efficacy of these nudges in a randomized field experiment. This project can provide cost-effective behavioral solutions to car-sharing issues caused by irresponsible user behaviors, facilitating wider adoption of car-sharing as a viable alternative to private vehicle ownership.