Commute planners can help spark the change that gets people out of cars and into smarter and shared alternatives. However, conventional platforms do little more than round up and present a generic set of available modal options. This tends to limit usability, since such platforms offer commuters few if any channels for optimizing the transportation modes most relevant to them on any given day.
Personalization is the answer. In 2018-19, we partnered with the City of Durham (North Carolina) and Duke University to study the effects of personalized commute plans. The research found that personalization alone can prompt modeshift rates by 5% to 10%. That’s a huge impact — especially when considering its potential on a mass scale.
Why personalization matters
Every commuter — and every commute — is different. A person’s needs can shift, sometimes from day to day or moment to moment. Commuter behavior is hard to change, and a generic commute planner that lacks customization potential is not likely to move the needle.
Personalization also helps users tailor their commutes in support of their own objectives. For instance, one commuter might want to save money while another seeks to improve their health. The money-saver might align with options like public transit and ridesharing, while the health-conscious commuter would more readily connect with walking, jogging, or biking. With a personalized commute planner, each of these theoretical commuters can fully explore the modes that interest them instead of remaining tied to a static set of generic options.
In short, personalized tools empower users with more control while offering the agility to explore and change to other modes with ease.
Commute planner personalization features that work
In addition to delivering a deeper, more customizable set of modal options than generic planners offer, personalized commute plans also leverage these features to positive effect:
Commuter networks
User networks facilitate the easy grouping of commuters according to factors like eligibility, modal preferences, scheduling needs, and location. This makes it much easier for both administrators and users to benefit from streamlined access to the most relevant available transportation modes.
Tools like CommuteHub support searchable, publicly visible networks as well as private networks with permission-restricted access. This feature gives administrators and users more control over their visibility and privacy.
Incentives and rewards
Incentives and rewards are proven tools for inspiring higher levels of program participation. Like other aspects of a superior commute planner, they work better when they’re customizable.
Here’s why:
- People tend to be more strongly motivated by rewards and incentives that speak to them on a personal level.
- When personalized incentives remain available on an ongoing basis, commuters tend to stay engaged for the long term.
- The availability of personalized rewards can draw more commuters into your organization’s program, driving higher success rates.
By combining a customizable commute planner with personalized incentives, you’re essentially doubling your program’s effectiveness.
Drive program success through personalization with a customizable commute planner
The CommuteHub platform for employers supports extensive personalization through private and visible networks, customizable rewards, and bespoke support for commuters across various worksites, employee classifications, and modal needs. More than 100 workplaces have put their trust in this cutting-edge commute planner, which readily integrates with over 40 business computing systems while reducing administration and processing times by up to 90%.
Offer your commuters more than generic modal information. Engage and empower your people team by providing a commute planner tool with purpose and infinite personalization possibilities. Start your journey today by signing up for a free CommuteHub demo.
