TransportXtra, 7th June 2023. Heathrow has launched a new app that offers staff incentives to encourage them to make fewer single-occupancy car journeys. The airport is piloting a new Way2Go app designed to help reduce CO2 emissions from surface transport and support the airport’s Surface Access Strategy and Net Zero Plan.
From 9 May to 11 August, airport staff who work for Heathrow Airport Limited, Border Force and World Duty Free will be able to download the free Way2Go app. This will enable them to earn Way2Go Points for walking, cycling, car-sharing and using public transport on their commutes to and from work. Way2Go Points are reward points with cash value, which can be exchanged for vouchers or donated to charity, directly through the app. Those using the app will receive push notifications and in-app messages, and the app’s dashboard will show their progress as well as the CO2 emissions they save by not using a car.
The system enables Heathrow to target specific routes, such as its Active and Sustainable Travel Corridors. Employees in these locations or using these routes will receive extra incentives as well as information about getting the most out of them, said Heathrow Airport.
The new app has been designed by behaviour change technology company BetterPoints. As well as offering incentives, the app gathers data about transport choices to help Heathrow meet their Surface Access and net zero goals. Heathrow aims to reduce surface access carbon emissions by 49% by 2030 (from 2021 levels), and to reduce the number of staff that rely on single-occupancy car journeys by encouraging them to commute by more active and sustainable modes of transport.
Tim Wells, Heathrow’s surface access travel & policy Lead, said: “We want to create a step-change in the culture of car use as the main mode of travel to work, and for public transport, car sharing, walking and cycling to be the default choices for colleague travel.
“The Way2Go app pilot will encourage and reward colleagues for using these greener modes of transport, and help us better understand their transport choices, the incentives they need to change their behaviour, and the obstacles that act against that.”
Richard Kirk, BetterPoints CEO, said: “We are delighted to be working with Heathrow Airport – Europe’s largest – on this significant pilot for changing commuter behaviour. Embedding more environmental behaviour with corporate employees can make an enormous contribution to net zero goals, produce a measurable return on investment, and contribute to a healthier wider community.
BetterPoints is a behaviour change technology company that works across sectors to change behaviour for better transport, climate and health. BetterPoints programs have been used with tens of thousands of people in the UK, Europe and beyond, to get them active, reduce carbon footprints, bolster ESG reporting, promote public transport, stimulate healthy eating and encourage recycling. They gather large amounts of data and feedback on transport habits, CO2 avoided, healthy activity, and behaviour change. For more information on BetterPoints, contact Michael Grimes on +44 (0)7939 563734 or michael.grimes@betterpoints.uk