IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/gam/jsusta/v11y2019i9p2674-d230000.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

A Large Scale, App-Based Behaviour Change Experiment Persuading Sustainable Mobility Patterns: Methods, Results and Lessons Learnt

Author

Listed:
  • Francesca Cellina

    (Insitute for Applied Sustainability to the Built Environment, SUPSI, Via Trevano, 6952 Canobbio, Switzerland)

  • Dominik Bucher

    (Institute of Cartography and Geoinformation, ETH Zurich, Stefano-Franscini-Platz 5, 8093 Zürich, Switzerland)

  • Francesca Mangili

    (Dalle Molle Institute for Artificial Intelligence (IDSIA), USI-SUPSI, Galleria 2, Via Cantonale 2c, 6928 Manno, Switzerland)

  • José Veiga Simão

    (Insitute for Applied Sustainability to the Built Environment, SUPSI, Via Trevano, 6952 Canobbio, Switzerland)

  • Roman Rudel

    (Insitute for Applied Sustainability to the Built Environment, SUPSI, Via Trevano, 6952 Canobbio, Switzerland)

  • Martin Raubal

    (Institute of Cartography and Geoinformation, ETH Zurich, Stefano-Franscini-Platz 5, 8093 Zürich, Switzerland)

Abstract

The present urban transportation system, mostly tailored for cars, has long shown its limitations. In many urban areas, public transportation and soft mobility would be able to effectively satisfy many travel needs. However, they tend to be neglected, due to a deep-rooted car dependency. How can we encourage people to make sustainable mobility choices, reducing car use and the related CO 2 emissions and energy consumption? Taking advantage of the wide availability of smartphone devices, we designed GoEco! , a smartphone application exploiting automatic mobility tracking, eco-feedback, social comparison and gamification elements to persuade individual modal change. We tested the effectiveness of GoEco! in two regions of Switzerland (Cantons Ticino and Zurich), in a large-scale, one year long randomized controlled trial. Notwithstanding a large drop-out rate experienced throughout the experiment, GoEco! was observed to produce a statistically significant impact (a decrease in CO 2 emissions and energy consumption per kilometer) for systematic routes in highly car-dependent urban areas, such as the Canton Ticino. In Zurich, instead, where high quality public transport is already available, no statistically significant effects were found. In this paper we present the GoEco! experiment and discuss its results and the lessons learnt, highlighting practical difficulties in performing randomized controlled trials in the field of mobility and providing recommendations for future research.

Suggested Citation

  • Francesca Cellina & Dominik Bucher & Francesca Mangili & José Veiga Simão & Roman Rudel & Martin Raubal, 2019. "A Large Scale, App-Based Behaviour Change Experiment Persuading Sustainable Mobility Patterns: Methods, Results and Lessons Learnt," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 11(9), pages 1-23, May.
    • Handle: RePEc:gam:jsusta:v:11:y:2019:i:9:p:2674-:d:230000
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: https://www.mdpi.com/2071-1050/11/9/2674/pdf
    Download Restriction: no
    File URL: https://www.mdpi.com/2071-1050/11/9/2674/
    Download Restriction: no
    ---><---

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Sengupta, Raja & Walker, Joan L., 2015. "Quantified Traveler: Travel Feedback Meets the Cloud to Change Behavior," University of California Transportation Center, Working Papers qt2vw4n4zc, University of California Transportation Center.
    2. Bamberg, Sebastian & Fujii, Satoshi & Friman, Margareta & Gärling, Tommy, 2011. "Behaviour theory and soft transport policy measures," Transport Policy, Elsevier, vol. 18(1), pages 228-235, January.
    3. Shaheen, Susan & Cohen, Adam & Zohdy, Ismail & Kock, Beaudry, 2016. "Smartphone Applications to Influence Travel Choices: Practices and Policies," Institute of Transportation Studies, Research Reports, Working Papers, Proceedings qt8dq801g7, Institute of Transportation Studies, UC Berkeley.
    4. Francesca Cellina & Dominik Bucher & José Veiga Simão & Roman Rudel & Martin Raubal, 2019. "Beyond Limitations of Current Behaviour Change Apps for Sustainable Mobility: Insights from a User-Centered Design and Evaluation Process," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 11(8), pages 1-26, April.
    5. Stopher, Peter R., 2004. "Reducing road congestion: a reality check," Transport Policy, Elsevier, vol. 11(2), pages 117-131, April.
    6. Linda Steg & Gerard Tertoolen, 1999. "Sustainable Transport Policy: The Contribution from Behavioural Scientists," Public Money & Management, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 19(1), pages 63-69, January.
    7. Evangelia Anagnostopoulou & Efthimios Bothos & Babis Magoutas & Johann Schrammel & Gregoris Mentzas, 2018. "Persuasive Technologies for Sustainable Mobility: State of the Art and Emerging Trends," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 10(7), pages 1-22, June.
    8. Stopher, Peter & Clifford, Eoin & Swann, Natalie & Zhang, Yun, 2009. "Evaluating voluntary travel behaviour change: Suggested guidelines and case studies," Transport Policy, Elsevier, vol. 16(6), pages 315-324, November.
    9. S. Cairns & L. Sloman & C. Newson & J. Anable & A. Kirkbride & P. Goodwin, 2008. "Smarter Choices: Assessing the Potential to Achieve Traffic Reduction Using ‘Soft Measures’," Transport Reviews, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 28(5), pages 593-618, January.
    10. Steg, Linda, 2005. "Car use: lust and must. Instrumental, symbolic and affective motives for car use," Transportation Research Part A: Policy and Practice, Elsevier, vol. 39(2-3), pages 147-162.
    11. Bonsall, Peter, 2009. "Do we know whether personal travel planning really works?," Transport Policy, Elsevier, vol. 16(6), pages 306-314, November.
    12. Miller, Harvey J., 2013. "Beyond sharing: cultivating cooperative transportation systems through geographic information science," Journal of Transport Geography, Elsevier, vol. 31(C), pages 296-308.
    13. Daniel Zizzo, 2010. "Experimenter demand effects in economic experiments," Experimental Economics, Springer;Economic Science Association, vol. 13(1), pages 75-98, March.
    14. Graham-Rowe, Ella & Skippon, Stephen & Gardner, Benjamin & Abraham, Charles, 2011. "Can we reduce car use and, if so, how? A review of available evidence," Transportation Research Part A: Policy and Practice, Elsevier, vol. 45(5), pages 401-418, June.
    15. David Banister & Dominic Stead, 2004. "Impact of information and communications technology on transport," Transport Reviews, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 24(5), pages 611-632, January.
    16. Hartman, Raymond S, 1988. "Self-Selection Bias in the Evaluation of Voluntary Energy Conservation Programs," The Review of Economics and Statistics, MIT Press, vol. 70(3), pages 448-458, August.
    17. Peraphan Jittrapirom & Valeria Caiati & Anna-Maria Feneri & Shima Ebrahimigharehbaghi & María J. Alonso González & Jishnu Narayan, 2017. "Mobility as a Service: A Critical Review of Definitions, Assessments of Schemes, and Key Challenges," Urban Planning, Cogitatio Press, vol. 2(2), pages 13-25.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Citations

    Citations are extracted by the CitEc Project, subscribe to its RSS feed for this item.
    as


    Cited by:

    1. Zinette Bergman, 2019. "Trains in the Land of the Car: A Case Study of Mobility as Agency in the United States," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 11(23), pages 1-12, November.
    2. Cloos, Janis & Mohr, Svenja, 2022. "Acceptance of data sharing in smartphone apps from key industries of the digital transformation: A representative population survey for Germany," Technological Forecasting and Social Change, Elsevier, vol. 176(C).
    3. Svenja Mohr & Janis Cloos, 2021. "Acceptance of Data Sharing in Smartphone Apps from Key Industries of the Digital Transformation: A Representative Population Survey for Germany," MAGKS Papers on Economics 202102, Philipps-Universität Marburg, Faculty of Business Administration and Economics, Department of Economics (Volkswirtschaftliche Abteilung).
    4. Alfred Andersson & Lena Winslott Hiselius & Jessica Berg & Sonja Forward & Peter Arnfalk, 2020. "Evaluating a Mobility Service Application for Business Travel: Lessons Learnt from a Demonstration Project," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 12(3), pages 1-18, January.
    5. Ștefan Boncu & Octav-Sorin Candel & Nicoleta Laura Popa, 2022. "Gameful Green: A Systematic Review on the Use of Serious Computer Games and Gamified Mobile Apps to Foster Pro-Environmental Information, Attitudes and Behaviors," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 14(16), pages 1-22, August.
    6. Danielle McCool & Peter Lugtig & Barry Schouten, 2024. "Maximum interpolable gap length in missing smartphone-based GPS mobility data," Transportation, Springer, vol. 51(1), pages 297-327, February.
    7. Martin, H. & Buffat, R. & Bucher, D. & Hamper, J. & Raubal, M., 2022. "Using rooftop photovoltaic generation to cover individual electric vehicle demand—A detailed case study," Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, Elsevier, vol. 157(C).
    8. Lassi Ahlvik & Anna Sahari, 2023. "Promoting active transport through health information: evidence from a randomized controlled trial," Working Papers 16, Finnish Centre of Excellence in Tax Systems Research.
    9. Minnich, Aljoscha, 2023. "Gamification in the transport sector: Quasi-experimental evidence from a bicycle navigation app," Transportation Research Part A: Policy and Practice, Elsevier, vol. 167(C).
    10. Mehrdad Bagheri & Miloš N. Mladenović & Iisakki Kosonen & Jukka K. Nurminen, 2020. "Analysis of Potential Shift to Low-Carbon Urban Travel Modes: A Computational Framework Based on High-Resolution Smartphone Data," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 12(15), pages 1-26, July.
    11. Johannes Gessner & Wolfgang Habla & Ulrich J. Wagner, 2023. "Can Social Comparisons and Moral Appeals Induce a Modal Shift Towards Low-Emission Transport Modes?," CRC TR 224 Discussion Paper Series crctr224_2023_451, University of Bonn and University of Mannheim, Germany.

    Most related items

    These are the items that most often cite the same works as this one and are cited by the same works as this one.
    1. Francesca Cellina & Dominik Bucher & José Veiga Simão & Roman Rudel & Martin Raubal, 2019. "Beyond Limitations of Current Behaviour Change Apps for Sustainable Mobility: Insights from a User-Centered Design and Evaluation Process," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 11(8), pages 1-26, April.
    2. Piras, Francesco & Sottile, Eleonora & Tuveri, Giovanni & Meloni, Italo, 2022. "Does the joint implementation of hard and soft transportation policies lead to travel behavior change? An experimental analysis," Research in Transportation Economics, Elsevier, vol. 95(C).
    3. Margareta Friman & Lina Larhult & Tommy Gärling, 2013. "An analysis of soft transport policy measures implemented in Sweden to reduce private car use," Transportation, Springer, vol. 40(1), pages 109-129, January.
    4. Sunio, Varsolo & Cortes, Robert Z. & Lactao, James, 2022. "Rhetorical orientations for promoting sustainable travel behavior: A perspective," Research in Transportation Economics, Elsevier, vol. 91(C).
    5. Sottile, Eleonora & Giacchetti, Tommaso & Tuveri, Giovanni & Piras, Francesco & Calli, Daniele & Concas, Vittoria & Zamberlan, Leonardo & Meloni, Italo & Carrese, Stefano, 2021. "An innovative GPS smartphone based strategy for university mobility management: A case study at the University of RomaTre, Italy," Research in Transportation Economics, Elsevier, vol. 85(C).
    6. Li, Tianhao & Chen, Peng & Tian, Ye, 2021. "Personalized incentive-based peak avoidance and drivers’ travel time-savings," Transport Policy, Elsevier, vol. 100(C), pages 68-80.
    7. Toşa, Cristian & Sato, Hitomi & Morikawa, Takayuki & Miwa, Tomio, 2018. "Commuting behavior in emerging urban areas: Findings of a revealed-preferences and stated-intentions survey in Cluj-Napoca, Romania," Journal of Transport Geography, Elsevier, vol. 68(C), pages 78-93.
    8. Bamberg, Sebastian & Fujii, Satoshi & Friman, Margareta & Gärling, Tommy, 2011. "Behaviour theory and soft transport policy measures," Transport Policy, Elsevier, vol. 18(1), pages 228-235, January.
    9. Tomás Ruiz & Rosa Arroyo & Lidón Mars & Daniel Casquero, 2018. "Effects of a Travel Behaviour Change Program on Sustainable Travel," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 10(12), pages 1-22, December.
    10. Zinette Bergman, 2019. "Trains in the Land of the Car: A Case Study of Mobility as Agency in the United States," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 11(23), pages 1-12, November.
    11. Schwanen, Tim & Banister, David & Anable, Jillian, 2012. "Rethinking habits and their role in behaviour change: the case of low-carbon mobility," Journal of Transport Geography, Elsevier, vol. 24(C), pages 522-532.
    12. Santos, Georgina & Behrendt, Hannah & Teytelboym, Alexander, 2010. "Part II: Policy instruments for sustainable road transport," Research in Transportation Economics, Elsevier, vol. 28(1), pages 46-91.
    13. Quaglione, Davide & Cassetta, Ernesto & Crociata, Alessandro & Marra, Alessandro & Sarra, Alessandro, 2019. "An assessment of the role of cultural capital on sustainable mobility behaviours: Conceptual framework and empirical evidence," Socio-Economic Planning Sciences, Elsevier, vol. 66(C), pages 24-34.
    14. te Brömmelstroet, Marco, 2014. "Sometimes you want people to make the right choices for the right reasons: potential perversity and jeopardy of behavioural change campaigns in the mobility domain," Journal of Transport Geography, Elsevier, vol. 39(C), pages 141-144.
    15. Rico Krueger & Akshay Vij & Taha H. Rashidi, 2018. "Normative beliefs and modality styles: a latent class and latent variable model of travel behaviour," Transportation, Springer, vol. 45(3), pages 789-825, May.
    16. Jan-Dirk Schmöcker & Tsuyoshi Hatori & David Watling, 2014. "Dynamic process model of mass effects on travel demand," Transportation, Springer, vol. 41(2), pages 279-304, March.
    17. Dong Zhang & Jan-Dirk Schmöcker & Satoshi Fujii & Xiaoguang Yang, 2016. "Social norms and public transport usage: empirical study from Shanghai," Transportation, Springer, vol. 43(5), pages 869-888, September.
    18. Cass, Noel & Faulconbridge, James, 2016. "Commuting practices: New insights into modal shift from theories of social practice," Transport Policy, Elsevier, vol. 45(C), pages 1-14.
    19. Kamruzzaman, Md. & Baker, Douglas & Washington, Simon & Turrell, Gavin, 2013. "Residential dissonance and mode choice," Journal of Transport Geography, Elsevier, vol. 33(C), pages 12-28.
    20. Jun Guan Neoh & Maxwell Chipulu & Alasdair Marshall, 2017. "What encourages people to carpool? An evaluation of factors with meta-analysis," Transportation, Springer, vol. 44(2), pages 423-447, March.

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:gam:jsusta:v:11:y:2019:i:9:p:2674-:d:230000. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    If CitEc recognized a bibliographic reference but did not link an item in RePEc to it, you can help with this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: MDPI Indexing Manager (email available below). General contact details of provider: https://www.mdpi.com .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.