Encouraging Active Commuting through monitoring and analysis of commuter travel method habits

The aim of this research is to understand and encourage healthier commuter travel method habits. Commuters who choose healthier travel, such as; walking, cycling or public transport methods, are known as Active Commuters (AC). However current literature suggests private car use is still the dominant method of transport. Additionally, there are very few AC monitoring and analysis applications for mobile devices, which lead to the following research question; “If commuters are able to monitor and analyse their travel habits, would this encourage them to choose AC methods?” In this work we propose a novel methodology that investigates this question. This technique was implemented and tested as an Android mobile application, giving valuable insights into AC habits. The Active Commute Tracker (ACT) mobile application was developed to include the following three components: (1) Commute Transport Method Calculation component, (2) Health component and (3) Sharing component. ACT allows users to monitor and record their commute method, distance travelled in total and commute health analysis. A basic version of this data can be shared on Facebook. Users tested the application for a set number of days and provided feedback of functionality, but more importantly whether or not it encouraged AC. Feedback from users confirmed that there is a demand for an application of this nature. No user was discouraged as a direct result of ACT.