Signal2: Commute and Earn!
On national average, about 86% commuters get to work via driving or carpooling, while only 5.2% people take public transportation according to 2013 Bureau of Transportation Statistics. (Bureau of Transportation Statistics, 2015) We do see the consequence related to traffic congestion, including the travelers’ time wasted on road, environmental impact, and etc. One innovative way to shift people from driving to taking the mass transportation is to gamify the everyday transit. (Poon, 2018) The smartphone app, Incentrip, pays commuters points for choosing environmentally friendly trips based on AI calculation. Users are able to use points to redeem gift cards.
When more people choose to ride public transportation, there will be fewer cars on the road, and less air pollutant emitted. Getting people to choose mass transit is a particular difficulty in the United States while 40% to 60% of commuters take public transit in European countries and some Asian countries.
The Incentrip is a nice app to help to resolve this issue. However, it will not have a significant impact on how people travel. Every commuter decides whether to drive or take a subway or bus based on their individual benefit and cost analysis. Some drivers think that their time is valuable and weigh more on driving, then these incentives are not enough for this group of commuters. Though, for those who swing between driving and taking the public transit this app is a great tool.
The economy model for such apps is obscure since people are able to redeem free points out of their daily commute. Some business practices such as running ads or doing partnerships with other businesses will likely to sustain this app and make it successful in the long run.
Bibliography
Bureau of Transportation Statistics. (2015, August). Commuting to Work. Retrieved from https://www.bts.gov/content/commuting-work
Poon, L. (2018, September 10). The App That Pays You to Find a Smarter Commute. Retrieved from City Lab: https://www.citylab.com/transportation/2018/09/incentrip-public-transit-incentives-app/568984/
