Detailed description (English): Bolt and the Institute of Transport Economics, TØI conducted research on how successfully a multimodal app can be used as a tool to encourage users’ sustainable mobility choices. Throughout the pilot, Bolt users, who were searching for a ride-hailing trip on a distance of up to 3 km, received in-app information about available e-scooters nearby. As much as ride-hailing is a sustainable alternative for a private car, e-scooter and e-bike are more suitable, and sustainable for a short trip. The in-app encouragement emphasised that a scooter is a faster and cheaper option than a car for short trips. The pilot was run in 10 European cities: Stockholm, Oslo, Gothenburg, Lisbon, Krakow, Madrid, Bordeaux, Brno, Ostrava, and Valletta in the summer of 2021. The results of the test were analysed and first published in February 2022.
Key finding of the pilot is that a multimodal app, consisting of mobility options addressing various mobility needs, can be successfully used as a tool to nurture positive mobility choices. Encouraged users were up to 60% more likely to choose micromobility over ride-hailing for a short in-town trip. The research proved that a multimodal app may nurture long-standing, positive mobility behaviours as the users who received the in-app encouragement at least once were more likely to choose sustainable micromobility in the future. The pilot confirmed that scooter density greatly influences the changes in mobility behaviour. In the cities where the scooter density is high, like Lisbon, the success of the in-app encouragement was considerably higher.
Target group(s): Target group of the pilot: multimodal app users.
Beneficiaries: all the people living or visiting the city as people making more sustainable mobility choices translates into enhanced air quality, less noise and traffic congestion.
Objectives: Check how successfully we may encourage sustainable mobility choices using multimodal app functionalities.
Partner: Institute of Transport Economics, TØI
Estonia