10/10 Commuter Challenge
TBD
The 10/10 Commuter Challenge is a project aimed at helping motorists in the City of Toronto to reduce their vehicle kilometers travelled (VKT) by providing unique incentives and information. The concept is simple – reward those that limit their commuter trips with incentives that will really motivate them to take action. Through the use of meter technology, each participating motorist will be able to track their VKT and given travel optimization tips, alternate commuting information and messaging about how close they are to their target. The goal is to get people to reduce their VKTs over a set amount of time by 10% - incentives could include 10% off gasoline purchases, 10% off insurance premiums and/or 10% discounts on TTC metropasses.
The program is modeled after the successful 10/10 Summer Challenge Toronto Hydro ran in 2007, which provided a 10% hydro bill discount should a customer reach their 10% conservation target. 29% of eligible customer participated in the program in Year One, with an annual savings of 71 GWh. In Year Two, an opt-in model was used, but 18% of Toronto Hydro customers still participated. We believe people in Toronto are excited and willing to participate in such challenges, and with the right financial rewards, will take action to change their behaviour.
The long term objectives of the program are:
- To engage 10% of motorists in the City of Toronto to reduce their VKTs over a 4 month period by 10%
- To reduce 63,542 tonnes of GHGs
- To encourage Toronto motorists to switch to other mobility options – such as TTC, carpooling, bicycle etc.
- To create a grassroots, social marketing campaign that gets people to take real action in their lives, thus reducing their dependency on their vehicle, improving quality of life and local economic development
We feel this program has great benefit for Toronto by helping to ease traffic congestion, improve air quality, educate thousands of people and create (and ideally win) a conversation about what individuals can do to improve environmental health.
We believe, at its peak, the annual impact of the 10/10 Commuter Challenge would be 63,542 tonnes of GHGs reduced. Here is our rationale:
There are approximately 1.7 million motorists in the GTA (StatsCan). The goal would be to enroll 10% of these commuters (170,000 total).
According to a report published by TAF, Toronto motorists produce about 6,354,256 tonnes of CO2/equivalent. Divided by the total number of motorists, each Toronto commuter emits 3.74 tonnes of GHGs. We are planning to enroll 170,000 motorists and encouraging them all to reduce their VKTs by 10%. This would result in 63,542 tonnes of GHGs.
Engaging the public in behaviour change and actions that lead to environmental and social improvements are essential for addressing climate change, improving air quality, increasing social well-being and supporting the development of progressive public policy.
The commuting public, and in particular, motorists, are an important contributor to the production of greenhouse gas emissions, smog-forming pollutants and traffic congestion, through individual and household transportation patterns. This includes the frequency and quantity of vehicle use, as well as vehicle maintenance, driving behaviour, and the uptake of other commuting options.
Since 2000, Summerhill Impact has been committed to creating and implementing strategic initiatives which generate sustained environmental and social improvements, by developing partnerships and engaging the public, to influence consumer behaviour.
Some of our initiatives and results include:
- Mow Down Pollution (lawnmower retirement program) – 45,650 inefficient mowers and trimmers have been retired, resulting in the reduction of 748 tonnes of greenhouse gas and smog forming emissions
- Retire Your Ride/Car Heaven (vehicle retirement program) – 260,791 old gas guzzling cars have been retired and responsibly recycled since 2000, resulting in 9,900 tonnes of smog-forming emissions
- Switch Out (mercury switch collection) – 477,708 automotive mercury switches collected to date across Canada, representing 278 kg of mercury
- Switch the ‘Stat (mercurt thermostat collection) – over 68,000 thermostats collected, representing 138 kg of mercury
- Keep Cool (room air conditioner retirement) – over 45,600 room air conditioners retired, representing over 30 MW of energy savings
Like every Summerhill initiative, we leverage the needs and resources of the private, public and not-for-profit sector to create actions that sustain environmental results. Summerhill will work with the automotive sector, oil and gas companies, local and provincial governments, transit authorities, and community groups to ensure the 10/10 Commuter Challenge meets its goals.
The venture is meant to be supported in similar fashion to many of Summerhill Impact’s social ventures – through leveraging private and public sector resources to drive social and environmental change. We have long standing partnerships with auto manufacturers, oil and gas companies and government agencies who would all benefit from the outcomes of the 10/10 Commuter Challenge.
We believe the value in the project is also in the data collected about driver habits, and this could propel a self-supporting finance model. Many in the public and private sector would love to know the commuting habits of individual motorists, in an effort to sell add-on goods and services. For example, companies such as GM Goodwrench could sell maintenance packages customized to the driving habits of the 170,000 motorists enrolled in the program. We will develop the plan to monetize this data after an initial Year One pilot. In this sense, we become the “Facebook” of the commuting world.
Secondly, we believe that with the in-car meter/monitoring system and online report cards, there will be options to sell advertising to motorists. This would be limited to messages about ways commuters can reduce their environmental impact through improved vehicle maintenance, as well as shifts to lower-emitting forms of transportation.
Comments
Why stop at 10%!?
Providing people with incentives tied to VKT reduced is both simple and innovative concept, and the tools to measure are increasingly available. However, can only be effective is there are alternatives, which is where the effort has to be. Reducing 10% is not insignificant, but with 40+ percent of city's emissions associated with transportation, the target has to be getting 4 of 5 cars out of circulation...which also addresses the oppressive congestion. This is not to detract from educating people about VKT, about options, and providing rewards.
Could there be a range of targets and rewards? Maybe some of the market are fed up with driving, would really like to ditch that expensive car, and this program could help them go the distance. Sliding scale of rewards...the rewards might have to increase exponentially to get the next 20% and next 20%. Would like to see some sensitivity analysis about what rewards you have to give to get action.
Building from information
Building from information gathered through Retire your Ride could prove very valuable for this program.
Having that understanding of clients in these type of programs is useful.
Financial Strategy: Bootstrapping and your Lead Customers
Please read below.
I’m excited to see so many entrepreneurial proposals on ClimateSpark. I especially like the model of social ventures that can sustain themselves by creating their own revenue and be less dependent on grants or gifts.
In my own experience starting and building several companies, I’ve often employed “bootstrapping” techniques so I’m not dependent on external capital (VCs, etc.). One technique I’ve used successfully is to recruit one or more “lead customers” who pay me up-front for a service (e.g., consulting or something they need right away), which gives me the capital to build my product or capability for them. The big advantages: cash up-front (or early); a real customer to help make sure my design is something they’ll want to buy; and a great partner to test ideas with as I’m getting off the ground.
What’s your bootstrapping strategy? Have you tried to develop “lead customers” for your product or service? Have you talked to potential customers ? What are you doing to get cashflow from them early, so your idea can gain traction?
Great concept, and strong
Great concept, and strong track-record for deliverying impactful programs.
Really like the initiative
Really like the initiative and believe it has legs. Educating and informing the motorist on their driving behaviours and impact via technology while taking the action will have a much higher chance of altering the behaviour. An integrated marketing plan to get motorists involved willbe key - might be worthwhile to think about how to 'gamify' the challenge.
I'd like...
..to see this happen in our city and beyond
This program has some strong behaviour-changing potential! I'm intrigued by Julia's comment about sensitivity analysis regarding rewards. Would you conduct some advance polling so that rewards can be tailored to address engaging typical non-participants?
It's an interesting concept,
It's an interesting concept, but basing it off of the Toronto Hydro program has its pitfalls, namely that Toronto Hydro had to rase its rates to cover the rebates as more than the budgeted people participated.
The finer details of this program need to be worked out before funding should be received. The current lack of knowing how rewards will be doled out. Additionally, how would individuals without smart phones participate without gaming the system?
How could this proposal be improved
FOR THIS PROGRAM TO WORK . WE NEED TO FIND AND TARGET VECHILES WHICH USES MORE VKT.
YOU HAVE TO BREAK THEN INTO CATEGORIES LIKE CAR, TRUCKS AND MANY MORE.
CREATE WAYS AND INCENTIVES TO EACH CATGORIES AND TRAILER THE MESSAGE TO THEM.
WE HAVE TO REMEMBER EACH CATGORIES HAVE THEIR OWN CHALLENGES. WE HAVE TO ADDRESS.
LIKE CREATE SPECIAL WAYS FOR EVERY VKT LIKE PAY MORE BETWEEN HOURS TRAVEL, HIGHER REWARD AND MORE.
BETTER INCENTIVE THAN 10% I LIKE 20% OR MORE.
use of financial incentives
If this can actually get drivers to drive less, that would be great!
Like others, I wonder what will happen after the initial targets are achieved and rewards handed out. The evidence is clear that ongoing rewards (with presumably ever tougher targets) will be needed to maintain and ideally decrease km. travelled; the trouble with the use of rewards is that once they are handed out, and without further carrots, drivers are very likely to revert to their former consumptive habits. This has been shown to be the case in countless studies of similar behaviour change efforts using rewards. Good luck with this!
I like that through this
I like that through this program motorist will be made aware of the amount they drive. Even if they do not decrease their driving distance in the winter they are more likely to do it in the summer.
Motorists should be asked to make a different goal for the summer compared to the winter season. This can add a healthy living element to the program.
I like this
For the most part we get into our cars and do what we need to do on a daily basis. We do not have a lot of time to figure out the best route. This could do it for us!
Apps are great but can be time consuming. The least time needed on them to record information the better. How can an App be build that automatically reads all the input needed to deliver the better choice?
Good stuff
It'd be great to extend this out to tie into the high number of trucks doing local deliveries and shipping companies that have delivery centres in the GTA (Purolator, Can Post, FedEx). While the large shippers already use fuel-saving technology, they may not be maximizing delivery routes.
Good initiative to put in place
The proposal has to be looked at in details in terms of impact, to try to measure it.
Do you think peer pressure would help or hinder?
Wondering if there was some kind of online interface that participants could login to see how they compare to similar driver profiles if that would help motivate even more and tips could be shared?
Clearly expressing your business value – Mock Press Release
Each proposal in ClimateSpark is bringing a valuable community based idea forward to help with energy conservation and the reduction of carbon emissions
Centennial College, School of Communications Media & Design, Corporate Communications and Public Relations Class of 2012 will be working on a set of mock press releases, in anticipation of this proposal being one of the 20 to be selected on October 31 to continue to ClimateSpark Ignite Phase 2.
If you would like to be interviewed as part of the mock press release development process, please send a note to Professor Barry Waite, [email protected] by Friday October 21, 2011.
If you choose not to be interviewed, the mock press release will be developed based on Information currently posted in the description of your idea, as well as information gleaned from the various comment interactions.
This project shows an important measure fighting urban pollution
This is one of the best use of IT and smartphone in implementing your program. You need to show, however, where 10% benefits support comes from.
Your incentive programs can target smartphone users to track their performance. You may include similar incentive programs for electric car users to reduce urban air pollution.
Great idea to reduce urban
Great idea to reduce urban pollution and improve air quality in the GTA. It would also help keep people fit and healthy by choosing alternatives to a car, some may like incoorporating the exercise into their daily routine through commuting using bikes/walking,etc. The health benefits could thus be promoted too in addition to the positive environmental impact. I agree with others that it would be good if people didn't just stop at 10%.
A simple yet brilliant concept
This is a great way to create momentum for social change
Empowering commuters
This is a great initiative. It will provide each participating commuter with simple, supported actions that can lead to environmental and social change on both an individual and community level. Reward, recognition and challenge based tactics will keep the participants engaged and will generate word-of mouth online dialogue on the achievable 10% target, as each commuter will feel ownership of the change. Community investment by the public and private sector - from urban planners to consumer facing product and service providers - could be faciitated by the key date collected through this intitative.
Apathetic commuters
I think one big weakness in this initiative is that there are a lot of apathetic people in Toronto. If it is easier for people to drive their car to work instead of taking TTC or bus, they will. Especially now since TTC services are being cut and you can't ride your bike all year round.
Also I don't think that saving 10% on gasoline would be a great incentive for me to take an alternative form of transporatation. If you give a discount on gasoline wouldn't this also give incentive for people to use their car after they get the discount?
Love a challenge!
For strenghts, incentive/rewards and information/education.
Would be great to see this expand to other cities. Maybe a challenge between cities?
Great idea!
Is there a way to tie in large company participation? I think this could help encourage participants on both an individual and community level. Perhaps there could also be a work related reward for participation – ie tele commute from home one day a month to further minimize commutes.
Great Idea!
Can't wait to see which incentive providers join!
Very cool idea
Great idea. The ease and convenience of the metering tech will be key. Will it be smartphone-based? Or could you use an existing system like GM's onstar?
Exciting new program
The Toronto area has regularly participated in Commuter Challenge and Clean Air Commute week. It's time to take sustainable transportation 365 days of the year. This is a great program that educates and motives measurable actions.
10/10
This sounds as though it should be simple to implement and easy for those who are looking for more reasons to leave their cars at home.
Great idea to kick start
Great idea to kick start energy conservation and pollution reduction in the GTA and the best part is that you get rewarded on every trip you take.
Let’s make sure this proposal becomes reality soon.
10/10
To reward participants with a discount on gas (the source of so much pollution!), sounds a bit counter-productive. How about rewarding them by giving a discount on environmentally friendly products. I like the idea of 10/10
Summerhill Impact has a great
Summerhill Impact has a great track record with this type of program. They blend charitable goals with corporate sponsorship very effectively. Absolute confidence that it will be a well-run and visible program.
To Mary's point about marketing strategies at the top of this list, I would assume your best entry point will be the corporate employee engagement market. Our pals at Pollution Probe have been working this market for years with the Clean Air Commute. How will you connect?
I can see it as part of a multi-pronged campaign to get people to "drive less", one of our top ten actions (designed for movement-based marketing). See also the proposals on eco-parking and transportation legislation for examples.
I agree - Summerhill has a
I agree - Summerhill has a great track record and is well-positioned to take this forward.
Good luck!
1) Tying in with Smart Commute
2) Finding a way to support a non-commute (work at home or a nearby hub?) day each week would be a 20% reduction for someone who commutes daily - plus the real rewards of working from home for a day!
The right company
Summerhill Group has the infrastructure, track record and right people to make this program a success. Good luck.
Being a regular commuter the challenge is that public commuting is becoming too congested and inpersonal. If the program could address the other side of the equation - making public transport more palatible - that would be the icing on the cake for this program.
Interesting take on conservation
We have all heard about how we should to conserve more and use less, and this project is an interesting take on conservation movement that gives back! I like the fact that a participant in this program might be able to find new travel routes and other options for traveling, while saving gas and winning prizes!
Looking forward to seeing how this project progresses.
10/10
Strong organization behind the proposal with an excellent track record of delivering results efficiently!
The organization will develop details once approved - there is no doubt that the project will achieve significant results
Reduce
It sounds decent in theory, however you want people to drive more to reduce emmissions?
I need more clarification
I think this is a great idea
I think this is a great idea but I just am a bit confused about the incentives. People would be saving money on gas as a result of reducing their driving, but by giving them a discount on top of that would encourage them to drive more once they received that discount. I think the other incentives are a good idea, especially the metropass discount. I am just confused about the logic behind the gas discount.
Good idea, good foundation
Good idea, good foundation example in the hydro program.
As suggested above, link with existing programs to build impact;
Would love if non-car owners could get rewards too, but I understand that the target audience is interested drivers. Good luck!
Good idea
this is a good idea but according to todays living environment, people are very concious about their comfort level and driving own car is more convinient than driving in public transport. This fact can decrease the participating percentage in this challenge.
Much Required Plan for the Current Time !!
This I see as a perfect plan for implementation in the current scenario, where the factors of rising Gas prices and affordable Cars, make it a necessity of time, to resort to steps like Carpooling and prefering public transport over private. One of the major strengths of this proposition would be that it is quite practical and already being followed. Where there is a financial incentive involved, there is bound to be some reaction (positive in this case).
Weakness - The actual Willingness of the people who would want to participate / promote the cause.
Could be improved in a way that it be made in form of a certain mandate, where the government could substantially regulate such working, to bring enforcement, as people are too busy to actually get involved in such initiatives.
A few concerns
Finding ways of getting motorists to use their vehicles less in our vehicle-centered communitities is a major challenge that seems to have been extremely difficult to address. I am glad that an organization like Summerhill is interested in tackling the issue. I think the driver habit data collection component is crucial and I would like to see more details. I am concerned at the idea of sharing the data with private sector retailers for marketing purposes, although I do the value in a sense (they could potentially create more eco-friendly goods and services for motorists), the ultimate goal of the vehicle / oil industry is not to get to people to drive less... that would be a self deprecating business model. I see more value in focusing on sharing that information with municipal governments and private transit providers so that they can augment their services to further encourage the use of transit.
I too would like to see a marketing plan, especially one that highlights the Community Based Social Marketing aspects (which I know Summerhill does very well).
I am also wondering what sort of public and private sector resources Summerhill would leverage?
Also, although I completely agree that incentives are generally necessary and an excellent way of encouraging a desired behaviour, I worry about the effects of making driving a personal vehicle easier and more accessible by reducing fuel and insurance costs. The insurance discount is not so bad if marketed correctly, I myself would drive my car less and possible take transit once in a while if I knew it would result in net savings on my insurance premium. I would not, however, pay to take transit to get a discount on insurance on the cost of the transit exceeded my insurance savings. Because my car insurance is so expensive right now, I it is difficult to rationalize paying the additional costs of transit (in a strictly personal financial sense). I cannot afford to pay $250 a month to insure my car and then leave it sitting at home in the driveway while I pay additional costs to take transit. That is the biggest obstacle for me and if that could be overcome I would certainly buy a transit pass here and there to reduce my personal driving. Although I am not sure if insurance companies would offer discounts for these types of actions since it would be difficult to verify that people are actually, physically taking the bus and not their car (it would be easy obtain discarded passes from other transit users without vehicles). And the idea of discounting fuel is also troublesome because it provides further incentive for people to continue using their vehicles, albeit less than before. I am curious to know where the 10% discount on fuel would come from it was chosen as one of the incentives. Personally I am not a fan of offering discounts on environmentally harmful products that, if priced to account for environmental damages, should cost more than they already do to discourage people from using them. I much prefer the idea of discounted transit passes or other items that would encourage the use of alternate forms of transportation. I would also like to know more about the possible longevity of this program, how will Summerhill work to ensure that the change to behaviour is lasting (even once the incentive is removed, because any truly effective social change campaign should only need to offer incentives as a temporary, transitionary measure) rather than just a temporary response to the incentive?
That being said, I do recognize that this campaign is targeted at motorists and therefore the incentives should be appropriate to the target audience. Perhaps a discount on transit passes would be not an adequate incentive for a typical motorist to participate in the program, whereas a discount on fuel or insurance would. I can definitely see both sides of the issue but I thought it might be worthwhile to bring up the side that might be a little more challenging (still meeting environmental objectives and promoting sustainable behaviour while coming up with a powerful way to reach motorists). I guess sometimes the environmentalist in me wants to go for the hard win when realistically it is probably best to pluck the low hanging fruit first and worry about the more uphill battles later!
I think this is a great, and
I think this is a great, and achievable, idea to make a measurable difference
This target of this
This target of this initiative, car commuting, certainly needs more attention and new strategies. This proposal puts forth a viable, self-sustaining model that will incent behaviour change as well as produce measurable results.
Great idea
Its a good concept to reduce pollution and energy consumption
Extend this to cover carpooling and public transport.
This proposal is good because it causes people to plan their trips more efficiently.
This proposal should be extended to reward and incentivise people who would use public transportation as an alternative (example special discounts) or car pooling.
It's all about measurement!
As they say, what you can't measure, you can't manage. This seems an effective way of curtailing the current issue of pollution.
It should be a mandatory procedure, regulated by the Government. The incentives should emphasise more on mass travelling rather than the individual trips.
A great way by which we can strive for eco friendly environment
I think this project is a very commendable one because it focuses on how to persuade others in order to become eco friendly by giving up a small amount of their travelling on motor vehicles. I personally think this takes a lot. other features which i liked are that there strategies for attaining there goal is very impressive. This will also help in maintaining an eco friendly environment as there will be less pollution and moreover less traffic accumulation on streets.
Well this proposal is best in itself . The only thing which i feel should be improved is that they should start conducting seminars in schools so that more students get aware of this and while discussing with students regarding this they should tell them the negative environmental effects of more usage of motorvehicles and a risk of accidents on two wheelers etc.
If participants really
If participants really consider what a 10% decrease in vehicle use would really mean for them, they'll realize how easy it will be to achieve this goal. I think the key here is once people really start to think about it and make these simple and small changes, it will snow ball into larger changes not only with their driving habits, but in other areas of their daily activities as well.
I'm excited to see this program take shape and the incentives that will be offered. Summerhill Impact has a proven track record for over achieving their targets in the most innovative ways. This is just a starting point towards something much bigger.
Great project idea
This is a great idea to engage people and give them a tangible action to undertake.
10/10 ( means A+ grade.............)
Really a practical one which can be easily adopted by everyone. In Canada, i think every out of ten persons have their own vehicles. This project will really works if people understand the value of environment and they impliment this in their own lives. It is not difficult ,what we have to do, just commute by public transports instead of own vehicles. It will save a huge fossil fuel and can reduce the carbon emmission as you rationally describe it would be 63542 tonnes of GHGs.
There should be some rules like students should not allowed to take vehicles to schools and colleges. By this they have to come in TTCs. And it can be happened only with the help of Government. So government participation is must in this concept.
Torontonians and everyone
Torontonians and everyone who visits Toronto complain about the traffic and the time to cross the city. This is an excellent idea and one that many would buy in to.
Aggressive target
I think any project that translates to people using transportation more efficiently and sustainably is positive, I am familiar with some of the Summerhill projects and believe in the organizations ability to reach Ontarians. I do think that an initial target of 10% is perhaps a bit too optimistic.
Im wondering if it may be more realistic to get strong buy-in from a pilot project sized group and then expand the participants with a positive track record and learnings in this area.
GOOD INNOVATION
This will reduce the emisions and plans our trips effectively.
make it morr realistic.
Good Idea
This project can bring many changes in the Canada, it is a very good project and it environmental friendly.
Implementing time should be reduces and some rules or conditions should be implemented to bring it to success.
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Marketing Plan?
This proposal focuses squarely on a key emissions source for Toronto - personal vehicle emissions. Recent studies show that quite a lot of personal transportation emissions occur ont he weekend, so it woudl be great to find out more about this "off-peak" transporation and try and make it more efficient - your data meter approach will really help with this I think.
The Toronto Hydro 10/10 model is a great foundation for this work - but part of the beauty of it was the fact that Toronto Hydro has a built in outreach model - hydro bills - a captive audience - all of us using electricity! - and a simple way to administer the reward - 10 percent discount on the bill. I'm having a hard time seeing how you will manage marketing and rewards with the diverse car-owner group - but I'm sure you folks have some great ideas up your sleeve.