In urban areas globally, standing to one side of the escalator ensures smoother pedestrian flow. This convention optimizes capacity, reduces congestion, and enhances safety by allowing walkers to pass on the opposite side. Since this convention is not really ingrained in the Belgian commuters, NMBS once again teamed up with Sapience to nudge the commuters to stand on one side of the escalator, thereby improving the overall commuting experience in Belgian train stations.
Methodology
Although there is limited research into the success of such interventions in escalator use, Sapience used its thorough expertise in nudging to create an effective intervention to influence the commuters behavior. We therefore designed a custom nudge that considered:
- The communication type: the nudge should be universal and easy to understand
- The placement: the nudge should be easily noticed
- The feasibility: the nudge should be easily applicable to all train stations in Belgium
Results
Our nudges were found to be very effective:
✅ An increase of 21% in the amount of people that comply with the new convention (walk left, stand right).
✅ Travelers gain around 3.14 seconds for every 100 people taking the escalators. This adds up to a whopping total gain of almost 4 hours per day, solely for the Brussels South station.
✅ Each month, 5.472 passengers in Brussels South station will now benefit from an optimized escalator flow.
In general, our nudges increase the accessibility to the escalator, decrease the delays in accessing and exiting the train platform, and result in an overall improved passenger experience, especially for those who are time-pressured.
As a result of our intervention, we are currently exploring other nudge interventions to improve commuters’ behavior on the platforms and during boarding, with the goal to reduce boarding time and increase train punctuality across the Belgian railway network.
Nudging in action
Interested to see our nudging approach in action? Watch the 2min video below, including interviews with Davide Rigoni (Sapience) and Wouter Derijck (NMBS).
