The CHUMS approach. Find out more about. Newsletter no.1 August 2015

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1 CHUMS project newsletter View this in your browser Newsletter no.1 August 2015 The CHUMS approach Carpooling seems like a common sense idea, but people do not see it as an option for commuting. We're changing that! The CHUMS project sets out to prove that carpooling can be an option, regardless of the behavioural, social and cultural barriers traditionally associated to sharing cars. The strategic aim of CHUMS The project newsletters will feature more in depth descriptions of the CHUMS approach and showcases of the implementation in each of the "champion cities". For this first issue we re showcasing Toulouse with its unique take on the package: Carpooling as part of an integrated transport system. is simple: attract car-poolers, match them and retain them. Sounds simple enough, but what s the difference between the CHUMS approach and some many other carpooling schemes? Well, we combine several easy-to-follow actions which, when implemented together, have a greater chance of making carpooling successful in organisations across Europe. We call this the CHUMS package of measures, and it s already delivering results. We want to spread the word! Focus on the Toulouse implementation of CHUMS. CHUMS project to be presented at the POLIS Annual Conference So far the entire CHUMS package has been tested in businesses, universities and municipal officers in five European countries. These Find out more about

2 countries range from those with a strong tradition of taking up sustainable mobility options, to those that still have growing car ownership and high rates of single occupancy. Our five CHUMS champion cities have been testing the CHUMS approach: Craiova (RO), Edinburgh (UK), Leuven (B), Toulouse (F), and Perugia (IT). They began with carpooling systems already in place, albeit at difference stages of maturity, serving workplaces and universities. The results so far have been very encouraging the CHUMS project Project overview Join CHUMS! Contact showing definite shifts in the number of people carpooling as a direct result of our CHUMS approach. Matching software is the backbone of enabling successful carpooling; then the CHUMS package can be applied: 1. Carpooling week - an intensive two week period of marketing and promotion of carpooling to the target users 2. Personalised Travel Planning tailored travel information, advice, and support to those who are open to changing their travel habits to more sustainable travel. These are usually combined with incentives, and delivered through face-to-face interviews, to encourage travellers to share their vehicles with others. 3. The Mobility Jackpot icing on the cake. The final step in the CHUMS package is the sweetest! The Mobility Jackpot is the ultimate incentive to carpool; prizes are awarded at regular intervals to those who are carpooling it has been estimated that incentives like this can eliminate up to 20% of daily commuting trips! The sole responsibility for the content of this document lies with the authors. It does not necessarily reflect the opinion of the European Union. Neither the EACI nor the European Commission are responsible for any use that may be made of the information contained therein. unsubscribe from this list update subscription preferences

3 Showcase Implementation of the CHUMS measures in Toulouse, FR Introduction Since 2008, Tisséo-SMTC, the Public Transport Authority, is managing a local carpooling service covering the Toulouse urban area level and beyond. Even if the number of carpoolers is constantly increasing since then, Toulouse sees the CHUMS project has a great opportunity to attract new users to the Tisséo service, put them in contact and keep them using it. Toulouse wishes to experiment fresh ideas that have worked in other cities and countries in the frame of carpooling. Background Tisséo-SMTC has an extensive experience in the field of Ecomobility services, running a carpooling service as well as promoting and accompanying companies and administrations to develop carpooling usage by their employees (organization of events, personalized mobility plans with a geo-localization system). The CHUMS demonstration sites in Toulouse are the TOP Business Park in South West Toulouse comprising of 17 companies with around employees (5 500 public and private) and the Heliopole Business Park in North Eastern Toulouse with 10 organizations that have about employees (300 public and private). In March 2015, before the CHUMS actions were implemented, Heliopole had 61 registered carpoolers and Top had 504 (total: 565). In the framework of the CHUMS project, Tisséo wishes to go further by implementing carpool weeks, mobility jackpots lotteries and personalized travel plans in order to increase the number of carpoolers registered. Implemented actions Carpool week This action took place from Monday, 30 March to Friday, 3 April. The Carpool week communication campaign was centred on the Drive collective slogan and was intended to underline the involvement of Tisséo in imaging a public transport more practical and focusing on users. A communication kit comprising of different format posters, leaflets, guides, totems, roll-ups, internet banners and pop-ups was produced for each of the business areas. In general they were well received and supported and explained the actions. A speeddating session to create matches between employees was organized at Héliopole before the carpool week and an animation/ stand during lunch time in front of one of the canteens was held at TOP, during the carpool week. 1

4 Mobility Jackpot Lottery The back office was changed to be used for other lotteries that could be requested by companies and also to be adapted for the needs of the project. The 1st Draw was held on the 7th of April and involved 93 eligible participants: 18 from Heliopole and 75 from TOP. - The 1st winner was from TOP and received an ipad. - The 2nd draw was held on the 5th of May and involved 168 eligible participants: 7 from Heliopole and 161 from Top. The 2nd winner was from Heliopole and received a Smart Box. - The 3rd draw was held on the 2nd of June and involved 159 eligible participants: 7 from Heliopole and 152 from Top. The 3rd winner was from Top and received a Smart Box. - The 4th draw was held on the 3rd July and involved 162 eligible participants: 6 from Heliopole and 156 from Top. The 4th winner was from Heliopole and received a Smart Box. - The next draw will be held in September 2015 and an ipad will be offered. Personalized travel plans Tisséo Mobility advisors started informing companies about PTP since September An online questionnaire has been created in February 2015 to be circulated to employees to gather their contact details and to evaluate their interest to participate to PTP. The employees that accepted to be interviewed received a small mug as a give-away. These actions lead to attract around 58 employees potentially interested in a PTP but for the moment only 7 have accepted to participate. The main reasons for this low involvement level were: too many efforts were requested from companies/employees in a short period, the companies preferred to focus on the «event» part of measures and some companies communication policy ( ing/intranet) can limit the possibility to communicate with employees. Evaluation actions Tisséo-SMTC started presenting the evaluation questionnaire and process (3 cycles of evaluation) since January/February to companies. Ever since the beginning of the evaluation the companies gave negative feed-back regarding the process. They complained about the length of the questionnaire, about the fact that their employees are overwhelmed by questionnaires on different topics. There is also a technical aspect that prohibits the employees to respond to the questionnaires there is a privacy concern and the internal communication policy defines limits on the input that each employee can give each month to external companies. Even if TML proposed several alternatives to relieve companies/employees until now, no evaluation questionnaire has been filled in. 2

5 Results Early June, following the 3rd draw, the number of registered carpoolers grew from 61 to 75 for Heliopole (+18.6%) and from 504 to 562 (+10.3%) for Top. Early July, the total number of registered carpoolers was Early July, 15 Personalized Travel Plans questionnaires had been were filled in by Tisséo-SMTC in Toulouse. The target of 1000 questionnaires to complete by Tisseo- SMTC in Toulouse was reduced to 200. The main results after implementing the carpool week, the mobility jackpots lotteries and the personalized travel plans are: - Conclusive period (end of March Early April) for the carpool week - Stimulating rewards (ipad, Smart Box) - Convincing communication strategy and material aimed at project managers in companies and administrations (numerous actions) - Personalized travel plans valued and perceived as very useful by employees interviewed - Word of mouth helped to recruit employees for Personalized travel plans Lessons learned - Set achievable goals. These goals should be realistic, in the number of companies/employees targeted. - Invest in communication. A well designed campaign, tailored to the specific needs and conditions of companies and their employees can make the difference. Be aware of the investment effort, in moth financial and human resource - Maintain communication with companies and cater to their needs. These type of initiatives require the commitment of companies and in obtaining this support you need to know their needs and constraints, adapt the communication tools and messages to fit the specific conditions and come up with innovative ways to get them involved: events/animations/communication/activities etc. - Develop a well-balanced implementation plan. During the implementation some actions may overlap and this will result in less engagement from employees (ex. lack of response to the evaluation questionnaire) - Use incentives. The Mobility Jackpot Lottery is a proven way to attract and retain new carpoolers. Also consider freebies for achieving a higher level of involvement (fill in questionnaires/participate in PTP) - Time to fill Personalized Travel plans questionnaires much underestimated - Overwhelming tasks asked to mobility/carpooling project managers in companies and administrations - Lack of appropriation of the communication support to develop it internally by project managers in companies and administrations 3

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