Transport for Humans: Are We Nearly There Yet?

by Pete Dyson, Rory Sutherland

Engineers plan transport systems, people use them. But the ways in which an engineer measures success – speed, journey time, efficiency – are often not the way that passengers think about a good trip. We are not cargo. We choose how and when to travel, influenced not only by speed and time but by habit, status, comfort, variety – and many other factors that engineering equations don’t capture at all.

As we near the practical, physical limits of speed, capacity and punctuality, the greatest hope for a brighter future lies in adapting transport to more human wants and needs. Behavioural science has immense potential to improve the design of roads, railways, planes and pavements – as well as the ways in which we use them – but only when we embrace the messier reality of transport for humans.

This is the moment. Climate change, the coronavirus pandemic and changing work–life priorities are shaking up long-held assumptions. There is a new way forward. This book maps out how to design transport for humans.

Genres: Business, Psychology, Nonfiction, Science, Professional Development

312 pages, Kindle Edition

Published November 18, 2021

About the author

Pete Dyson joined Ogilvy’s Behavioural Science Practice in 2013 and in 2020 he was seconded to the UK Department for Transport as Principal Behavioural Scientist, tasked with the COVID-19 response, sustainable behaviour change and internal capability building. This book has been written in a personal capacity.

Reviews

[Katerina Arch · Rating 4 out of 5]

An easy-readable collection of essays on behavioral economics applications in transport industry

[Ronald J. · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is about applying behavioral economics to transportation. Rory Sutherland is the Vice Chairman of Ogilvy in the UK, and most of the book does deal with transportation within the UK. We are not just “Homo transporticus” worried only with travel time, on-time arrival, etc. There’s an enormous emotional component to our travel. Cargo can be mathematically optimized without any human psychology. But restaurants, hotels and other businesses don’t think in just this way. Concorde is a great example of only focusing on one aspect of travel—speed. There are a lot of other innovations—or what the authors term ‘innervations”—that could be deployed, from a behavioral perspective, that would enhance the travel experience. It’s an interesting book if you want to see how behavioral economists think outside the traditional domains of economics, and apply some useful insights to improving how humans and systems interact.

[Popup-ch · Rating 3 out of 5]

The domain of public transport has long been seen as the business of shipping bodies, but a lot could be gained by optimizing the experience of the travellers.

There is a whole lot more to public transit than mere time-to-destination. Depending on the trip purpose, human travellers sometimes prefer a low-variance reliable connection to one that's on average faster, but with occasional long delays. And when delays occur, the way it's announced can make a huge impact on the perceived disruption.

As I was reading about this on my commute, the train suddenly stopped outside the station. Within fifteen seconds there was an announcement, stating that the train was delayed, due to the arrival platform not yet being ready, but that it shouldn't take more than a couple of minutes, and it shouldn't be any problem with connecting trains. That's a perfect announcement according to the book. It was brief, stated the facts, and gave an estimate of the duration. And didn't involve any kind of non-apology like "we apologize for any inconvenience caused".

There are lots of interesting nuggets here, such as the fact that waiting time is seen as (roughly) three times more annoying than travel time, and that time spent on clean trains is twice as nice again.

The writing style is a bit uneven, and the last half seems like it was thrown together in a rush.

[Jesse · Rating 5 out of 5]

Perfect book for my course - should be compulsory reading for AAPS CDT. Very inspiring. Also intimidating because I know I am stuck at the “nudge” level seeking marginal gains - that level of analysis is just how my brain works. But I should be thinking about larger transformations. Must talk to Pete more. Must revisit this book when choosing my thesis. Must remember to look at further reading, I have highlighted in the book.

[Hilary May · Rating 3 out of 5]

Found first half fascinating but dragged a bit towards the end and probably not really for a non specialist. Lots of interesting ideas. I came across it through a radio 4 programme and most of the best bits were already in that.

[Frank · Rating 5 out of 5]

An excellent, eye opening look at ways transport in the UK could be altered to make it more appealing for customers. Rory Sutherland gives the book levity, humour and his unique perspective from an advertising/psychological perspective.

Would highly recommend

[Liam Joyce · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5.

I’ve been in the behavioural science rabbit hole ever since reading thinking fast and slow, which this references a fair bit. Some thoroughly interesting points and theories and some that were humorous.

[Aarti Nair · Rating 4 out of 5]

One of the best books on transport by two Ogilvy guys (behavioural science), written in the most lucid manner.

[Badal]

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- Discovered Rory (X post)

[Aziff · Rating 3 out of 5]

Transport for Humans is an interesting read but aims for a potential I felt it never reached. P. Dyson sets up an interesting premise: what if we reflected on how people think/feel and applied it to transportation? P. Dyson makes an argument at the beginning of the book, saying how transport is designed to transport cargo, and its goods are human users. But humans aren't cargo, and transportation design doesn't reflect that. This is a good starting point, in which I was ready to expect deeper analysis as we moved along.

However, Transport for Humans appears more as a collection of essays covering different aspects of transportation and how it could be improved. The essays (or chapters) read like 'problem, solution' in quick-fire rapid successions. P. Dyson doesn't leave much room for deeper thought, thinking about the historical or human aspects of the why. To be fair, he does - but doesn't do it enough that it feels like a satisfying read.

But this criticism aside, Transport for Humans is great if you want a starting point to begin thinking about transport design and, by extension - urban design and how we adapt to it. The book's purpose, having completed it, makes the user curious enough to think deeper for themselves and start noticing their built environment and research for solutions. It's less of a manual but more of an appetiser, in which the rest is up to you.