IN AN ATTEMPT TO ISOLATE THE OPERATING VARIABLES THAT INCREASE TRANSIT RIDERSHIP UNDER CONDITIONS OF FREE TRANSIT, THE FOLLOWING EXPERIMENTAL CONDITIONS WERE INSTITUTED ON A UNIVERSITY CAMPUS BUS SYSTEM: (1) DISSEMINATION OF FREE TRANSIT TOKENS REGARDLESS OF THE SUBJECT'S BUS RIDING BEHAVIOR (NON-CONTINGENT FREE TRANSIT), (2) DISSEMINATION OF ONE FREE TOKEN FOR EACH BUS RIDE MADE BY THE SUBJECT (ONE-FOR-ONE CONTINGENT FREE TRANSIT), AND (3) DISSEMINATION OF THREE FREE TRANSIT TOKENS FOR EACH BUS RIDE MADE BY THE SUBJECT (THREE-FOR-ONE CONTINGENT FREE TRANSIT). IT WAS FOUND THAT THE REQUIREMENT OF A RESPONSE CONTINGENCY (I.E. A SUBJECT MUST RIDE TO GET ADDITIONAL FREE TRANSIT) PRODUCED GREATER TRANSIT USAGE THAN THE DISSEMINATION OF FREE TRANSIT REGARDLESS OF THE SUBJECT'S BUS RIDING BEHAVIOR. OF THE TWO RESPONSE CONTINGENT CONDITIONS, THE ONE-FOR-ONE CONTINGENT FREE TRANSIT CONDITION PRODUCED RIDERSHIP LEVELS GREATER THAN THE THREE-FOR-ONE CONTINGENT FREE TRANSIT CONDITION. ADDITIONALLY, TRADING OF FREE TRANSIT TOKENS WAS HIGHEST UNDER THE NON-CONTINGENT FREE TRANSIT CONDITION.(Author/publisher).
Samenvatting