How can people be encouraged to adopt more sustainable mobility habits? While technical innovations and new infrastructure are important foundations, they often need to be complemented by impulses that prompt reflection and inspire action.
The factsheet “Incentives for Sustainable Mobility Behavior” presents 12 international case studies showcasing the successful use of different types of incentives – including material incentives such as bonuses or discounts, immaterial incentives like tailored mobility advice or improved infrastructure, and gamified incentives such as challenges.
The comparative analysis shows: Incentives are most effective when tailored to the local context, politically supported, and combined with accessible, reliable mobility options. At the same time, the implementation of such measures often requires significant human and financial resources – but these investments can pay off by strengthening sustainable mobility alternatives.
The publication was developed by ConPolicy – Institute for Consumer Policy in collaboration with the German Institute of Urban Affairs (Difu) on behalf of the German Environment Agency (UBA). It is aimed at professionals in administration, policy, and practice who are working to design or improve incentive-based measures to promote sustainable mobility.
The factsheet is available for free download (in German) here.
More information about the project is available here.