Revolutionizing Public Transport Through Scent Experience

If you've ever hesitated to board a public bus because of how it smells, you're not alone. While much of the discussion around improving public transportation revolves around infrastructure, routes, and pricing, there’s a powerful and often overlooked player influencing our commuting choices: scent. A new study out of Braga, Portugal, explores how something as simple as ambient fragrance might be the missing link in nudging people away from private cars and toward more sustainable transport options.

Why Experience Matters in Public Transit

Public transportation is not just a way to get from A to B—it’s a service experience that impacts how passengers feel, remember, and act. Traditionally, policies aimed at encouraging a shift from car to bus have focused on external factors like cost or convenience. But recent research suggests that deeper psychological factors, like emotions and sensory experiences, may have a greater influence on our choices than we think.

In fact, studies show that people often associate public transit with less favorable emotions compared to driving. This negative emotional perception can be a significant barrier to making the switch, regardless of how logical or eco-conscious it might be.

The Study: Using Scent to Enhance the Bus Experience

To test the power of scent, researchers designed a field experiment on public buses in Braga. The goal? To measure how ambient scent affects:

• Passengers’ emotional reactions to the travel experience

• Their memory of the journey

• Their attitude toward the transit brand

• Their future intention to use public buses

Using a pre-test-post-test design, they compared the experiences of passengers before and after the introduction of a carefully selected ambient scent. The results were clear: scent made a measurable difference.

What the Results Smell Like

The buses infused with scent didn't just smell better—they felt better to the passengers. The findings showed that scent:

• Strengthened the emotional response to the travel experience

• Enhanced passengers’ memory of the journey

• Improved attitudes toward the bus company’s brand

• Increased the likelihood of future bus use

In short, the ambient scent acted as a subtle but powerful marketing tool, shaping both perception and behavior.

Why Scent Works: A Psychological Perspective

The power of scent lies in its connection to the brain. Unlike other senses, smell is directly linked to the limbic system—home to emotion and memory. This means a pleasant scent can instantly trigger a positive emotional response and create a lasting impression. In retail and hospitality settings, this principle is already being used to great effect. Now, public transport might be ready to follow suit.

A New Avenue for Sustainable Mobility

For cities aiming to reduce traffic congestion and carbon emissions, enhancing the appeal of public transportation is critical. But this study suggests that achieving that goal may require more than adding more buses or raising parking fees. It means rethinking the experience of travel itself—from the lighting and cleanliness to the way a bus smells.

This research opens up exciting new possibilities for public transport innovation. By incorporating sensory elements like scent, transit authorities can create a more welcoming, enjoyable, and emotionally resonant journey. And in doing so, they can play a part in shifting public perception—transforming public buses from a last resort into a preferred travel choice.

As cities continue to search for creative solutions to environmental challenges, maybe it's time to stop and smell the… well, buses.

Silva, J., Sá, E. S., Escadas, M., & Carvalho, J. (2021). The influence of ambient scent on the passengers’ experience, emotions and behavioral intentions: An experimental study in a public bus service. Transport Policy, 106, 88–98. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tranpol.2021.03.022