Tradable Permits versus Congestion Charge on Managing Morning Peak Travel Behavior: A Field Experiment in Beijing

Abstract

The efficiency of tradable permits on managing morning peak travel and its comparison with congestion charge have been discussed theoretically but not practically. This study contributes to providing the first practical evidence of both tradable permits and congestion charge to manage actual scheduling decisions in the morning peak using real car drivers. By conducting a twomonth field experiment among 532 car drivers in Beijing, we investigate the effectiveness and drivers’ attitudes of these two policies. We designed a step-size tradable permits scheme and a similar congestion charge scheme based on Beijing real traffic conditions. The OBD box and phone App have been used to record real-time travel information and online trading. Preliminary results show that both treatments reduce the rush-hour departures. Compared to congestion charge, tradable permits scheme is more acceptable for car drivers.