Imagine succeeding in forcing a hundred motorists to avoid using their cars for a month? And this in favor of more sustainable alternatives. Public transportation, scooter, bike, carpooling, carsharing or even walking. Well, these are the challenges that the Lyon’s organizing authority of transportation, SYTRAL Mobilités, has just launched. Their names: “Month without my car in Vaise” and “I move differently in Grandclément”. Two challenges are making their grand return from 1ᵉʳ to June 30. Zoom in on these uncommon experiments, conducted in cooperation with 6 mobility providers and the promising Lyon-based startup VAZY…
“Full of advantages with the mobility kit”
To encourage a hundred volunteers to change their habits, SYTRAL has set up a package giving access to various mobility services. A “mobility kit” including a monthly subscription to the TCL (Lyon Public Transport) network. A subscription that also offers free access to the car and bicycle park-and-ride facilities at Vaise station.
In addition, the user will be offered a 3-month subscription to the Lyon metropolitan area’s car-sharing service “Citiz LPA Grand Lyon”, free access to the Lyon car-sharing service “En covoit’ Grand Lyon”, a one-year subscription to Velo’v, a one-day pass to the 100% Lyon eco-responsible car-sharing service, “Leo & go”, and finally two unlockings and 20 minutes free TIER’s electric scooters.
This challenge was designed primarily to help participants discover the many mobility solutions that exist in their neighborhood. It is the individuals who decide when, where and how they move. To change habits, you have to be able to test them in real life, in your daily life.
BÉATRICE VESSILLER, VICE-PRESIDENT OF SYTRAL MOBILITÉS AND THE LYON METROPOLIS
In order to provide participants with the best possible support, SYTRAL will also be holding workshops with TCL ambassadors and mobility advisors from the Lyon Metropolis.
A challenge “hosted” on the VAZY application
To encourage participants to maintain their efforts, SYTRAL has decided to partner with Lyon-based startup VAZY. Launched in November 2021, the application has already attracted more than 14,000 users in the Lyon region, with an average of 73km covered. Its concept? Rewarding “alternative mobility”. Indeed, on all of its decarbonated trips, users are rewarded in exchange for points giving access to offers from the 250 local shops that are partners of the application.
The accumulation of points takes into account 2 parameters. Namely, the mode of transportation (walking, biking, scooter…) and the territory on which the user travels. In addition, as a bonus, SYTRAL is offering many prestigious prizes to be won. Among them, we find a folding VAE EOVOLT worth 1499€ or a micro Merlin III electric scooter worth 699€.
A successful outcome of the operation in 2021
Including 22 participants from 6 families, the first experiment had already taken place in another neighborhood (Carré de Soie). A test that allowed 22 participants from 6 families to change their habits. According to an article published on News Est Lyonnais, the majority of the families “found it easier to get around than by car, pointing out benefits such as saving time and reducing stress.
The volunteers’ feedback enabled us to identify areas for improvement, in particular the problem for several families of doing their shopping and certain purchases without a car, where car-sharing and car-pooling can be alternative solutions that deserve to be promoted even more.
BÉATRICE VESSILLER, VICE-PRESIDENT OF SYTRAL MOBILITÉS AND THE LYON METROPOLIS
During the operation, 100% of participants used public transport. The results were so encouraging that 2/3 of the participants wanted to extend their Lyon public transport pass. It is important to note that 5 out of 6 families used the bus for the first time. An encouraging experiment, which could be extended, one day, who knows, through a MaaS application at level 4…
