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Team Name

Mobility Mates

Team Members

Project Description

Summary

Victoria is experiencing a shift in people opting for more private vehicle usage than public transport, resulting in a significant increase in vehicles on the road. For those living in outer suburbs, managing public transport schedules to commute to work or university becomes challenging and time-consuming. Recognizing this issue, we decided to explore solutions that make commuting via public transport, cycling, or walking more engaging and rewarding, contributing to a greener and more sustainable Melbourne.

Victoria is also driving its shift toward net-zero emissions in transport with a comprehensive plan aimed at reducing emissions, supporting new industries, and creating jobs. The government's transport pledge includes funding in Zero Emission Vehicles, Public Transport Buses, Electrifying Government Fleet, and Active Transport (e.g., walking, cycling) infrastructure.

Problem Statement

With the increasing number of Victorian residents, we want to encourage more people to use public transport and choose alternative transportation methods like cycling, walking, and public transportation. Our goal is to support Victoria’s green and sustainable future while making transportation more fun and rewarding for everyone, with the added benefit of improved public health.

Approach

Melbourne's public transport network is currently sufficient, and the Victorian government is investing in making it better, as seen from the upcoming Suburban Rail Loop project under Victoria's Big Build. However, on the user's side, there is no motivation to ditch their personal vehicle in favor of public transport. So, we decided to develop an app that solves this issue. It will have the following benefits for both the public and the government:

Public Benefits

1. Motivation to use Public Transport: The app will reward users based on Myki and fitness tracker activity by calculating kilograms of CO2 emissions saved.
2. Nearby Route Finder: Users can find nearby bike and walking infrastructure for both leisure and commuting.
3. Redeem Points: Users can redeem points through a gift-card portal or by recharging their Myki cards.
4. Myki Management: Users can add multiple Myki cards and manage their balance and top-ups.
5. Community: A platform for people to connect and share their green and sustainable ways of living.

Government Benefits

1. Granular Data: The app will help the government gather more granular data on public transport usage and insights into travel patterns across various demographics.
2. Infrastructure Insights: The app will offer insights into future infrastructure development needs based on users’ fitness and activity tracker data.
3. Policy Development: The user data and infrastructure insights from public app usage will help the government analyze and derive real-time results that can supplement future policy formation.
4. Sustainable lifestyle trends: Through the community page section, it can be analysed through AI to find the recent trends of sustainable living and develop green policy initiatives.
5. Granular User Segments: Our app provides more granular user segmentation through user app data, rather than just 4, through AI clustering to help see the accessibility needs and usage by public.

Data Story

By leveraging multiple datasets, we can uncover the key factors influencing transportation behavior and develop an app that encourages the use of public transport, cycling, and walking, while also reducing CO2 emissions and improving public health by promoting active transportation modes.

1. Estimating and Classifying High CO2 Emission Areas:

The app will use data from VIC-Fleet Vehicle Registration and Victorian Integrated Survey of Travel and Activity datasets to estimate the CO2 emissions saved by users who choose sustainable transportation options such as public transport, cycling, or walking instead of driving.

By applying average emissions data per kilometer for different vehicle types, the app can estimate the emissions users would have produced had they driven instead. This information will allow the app to aggregate CO2 savings data to provide insights for the government, helping to classify regions with high CO2 emissions. These insights will highlight areas where emissions reductions are most significant, supporting Victoria's net-zero transport pledge.

2. Reward System:

To encourage more people to choose sustainable transportation options, the app will turn CO2 emissions savings into tangible rewards. Users will receive rewards based on the amount of CO2 they save by opting for public transport, cycling, or walking. These rewards could be redeemed through gift cards, Myki top-ups, or other incentives.

Based on research into human behaviors and improving interaction with apps, this app provides a clear, trackable metric tied to personal actions, creating a direct incentive for users to engage in greener behaviors and fostering a shift toward sustainable travel options across Victoria.

3. Enhancing Active Transport Infrastructure:

Active transport options, such as cycling and walking, play a significant role in reducing car dependency. The Principal Bicycle Network (PBN) and Bicycle Volume and Speed datasets allow us to map existing cycling infrastructure and evaluate its usage. By correlating bike lane availability with public transport routes and vehicle registration data, we can identify areas where expanding bike infrastructure could have the most impact.

For the app, this translates into route suggestions that combine cycling and public transport options, encouraging users to embrace active transport by showing them the nearest bike lanes and paths.

4. Community Engagement and Green Living Tips:

The app will feature a community page where users can share their local gems, tips, and tricks on how they are boosting their green lifestyle. This platform encourages community-driven insights into sustainable living, such as hidden cycling routes, effective ways to reduce carbon footprints, or suggestions for eco-friendly businesses.

By allowing users to post and engage with one another, the app not only fosters a sense of community but also crowdsources valuable information that can help others adopt greener habits. These community contributions can be analysed to identify trends in sustainable practices and further enhance the app’s offerings, making it a dynamic tool in promoting a greener lifestyle across Victoria.

Conclusion

By integrating these datasets, we can develop a comprehensive picture of Victoria’s transportation landscape. The app will not only motivate users to choose greener travel options by offering rewards based on CO2 emissions saved, but it will also provide the government with actionable insights to support infrastructure planning and policy development. In this way, we can contribute to Victoria’s ambitious goal of reducing emissions and building a sustainable future for all.