Scientific monitoring of the project «Sorglos mobil»

Initial situation

The desire for flexible and individual mobility offers is growing. Many users would like to have a range of transport options that they can book easily with the help of an app and would also go without their own car if sharing options were available on their doorstep.

Together with Zug Estates, Mobility, the Mobility Academy and the Bern University of Applied Sciences, PostBus Switzerland has conducted a practical test. As part of the " Seamlessly Mobile" pilot project, between 20 and 50 residents of the Suurstoffi site in Risch-Rotkreuz ZG were given the opportunity to test the mobility of tomorrow. With a subscription solution, they had access to sharing offers for cars, e-bikes and cargo bikes as well as a public transport credit for the GA validity area. In addition, the users had access to the nationwide fleet of carvelo2go, mobility and PubliBike. This saved them the cost of their own vehicles and meant they did not have to worry about vehicle maintenance or insurance.

Goals

The pilot project " Seamlessly Mobile" was scientifically monitored by the Institute for Urban Development and Infrastructure ISI of the Bern University of Applied Sciences BFH. The aim of this monitoring was to analyse and assess the effects of the new service on the mobility behaviour of the test persons and thus on energy consumption, emissions, and neighbourhood traffic.

Procedure

For this purpose, a methodology was developed to measure, survey and evaluate the effects of “Seamlessly Mobile”. This consisted of three elements: Initial survey, semi-automated recording of the movement history in the app, and a survey on the offer.

Results

Many residents were open to the project and used the vehicles available on an individual basis, but they were reluctant to take out a combined subscription. Over the full duration of the project, 16 people subscribed, which was below expectations. The project was complicated by the fact that it took place during the pandemic, when both public transport and shared mobility suffered. However, the project partners gained the following interesting insights:

• Mobility bundles, especially quotas, offer huge potential for reducing energy demand and carbon emissions in the transport sector. The effect is greater with a subscription that includes credit rather than with a “pay-as-you-go” model.
• For residents to leave their cars behind and use shared mobility, incentives are required that appeal to them on both a rational and an emotional level, as well as mandatory framework conditions. This could be a reduction in the number of parking spaces, for example. The project showed that residents change behaviour towards public and shared mobility in their leisure time first and then when commuting to work.
• Interest in shared mobility on the doorstep (e-cars, e-bikes and cargo bikes) was also sparked among car owners on the Suurstoffi site. However, residents mainly used those offers individually and were very reluctant to take out subscriptions.
• Digitization and apps for customers play a central role in enabling them to enjoy more sustainable door-to-door experiences without using their own cars. Data transfer standards at a national level are an important prerequisite for this.
• An app that bundles the various mobility services has to be more than just a resale platform. Customers need to be completely convinced before they will abandon the individual mobility apps they already use.

The researchers had to adapt the original study concept due to the limited number of passes purchased. Thus, the effects of the new service on the mobility behavior of the test persons, and thus on energy consumption, emissions, and neighborhood traffic, were no longer primarily investigated. Instead, the researchers focused on why the project had not received a more favourable response. By means of questionnaire, statements about the mobility behavior of the Suurstoffi residents and possible obstacles to the pilot project could be highlighted. In addition to researchers from BFH, a team from Lucerne University of Applied Sciences and Arts (HSLU) was also involved in the development of the questionnaire. As part of the SWEET funding programme of the Swiss Federal Office of Energy (SFOE), HSLU scientists are conducting a long-term study over a period of seven years on how to achieve a sustainable and efficient way of living while at the same time improving the quality of life on plots and in settlements. The results of the «Sorglos mobil» project are also included in this study.

Further informations

• suurstoffi.ch

• SRF.ch: Verzicht aufs Auto - Ein Quartier in Rotkreuz wird zum Testobjekt (in German)

• Final report (in German)