The TRON 1 project was running in the Norwegian town of Trondheim from March to October 1996, and was part of the EU-supported research project CONCERT (DG VII and DG XIII). The main objective of the project was to test a complete system for integrated payment of transportation services, including parking, bus trips and crossings of the toll ring. Payment means were an electronic payment card (the TRON card) for bus and parking, and an electronic tag for the toll ring. All cards and tags of one household were linked to one common 'transport account' with a monthly post payment agreement. About 500 households took part in the test, and overall, three out of four household members were recruited to test the TRON card. The evaluation of the test mainly focused on the effect of the TRON card on bus use. The evaluation results are based on a two-wave interview survey and monthly system transaction data. The participants generally had very positive expectations to the TRON card. Interviews during the test revealed that the positive expectations had been met, as the system was perceived as time-saving and easy to use. Halfway through the test period (June), the participants made 17% more bus trips than "normal". However, after the summer vacation, the positive trend in bus use stopped, and the travel behaviour fell back to the usual pattern. Hence, the test results do not indicate that the TRON card led to any permanent change in the participants' bus use.
Abstract