Individualised mobility marketing

Summary

Ljubljana is aware that public acceptance of transport policy is of crucial importance if policies are to be successful. The city therefore wanted to enhance the level of public inclusion and participation in the policy process. For this purpose special individualised mobility marketing activities have been introduced.

Implementing sustainable mobility

Ljubljana started to introduce individualised mobility marketing by establishing specific manners of inclusion/participation of the public in the process of creating a new city traffic arrangement.
• First, the area of corridor was thoroughly analysed through public opinion surveys. The public opinion surveys performed in 2009 and 2012 analysed the legitimacy of changes to the public transport arrangement in Ljubljana including anticipation and mitigation of possible contradictions that may emerge as consequence of a transformed transport system. Altogether, more than 2300 people were included in both surveys. Supplements resulting from surveys regarding city traffic regulation plans, including the potential operating impacts of the new traffic systems were delivered to local partners in order to be used as important data for the preparation of their own measures.
• Second, the development of proposals for optimising synergetic effects of the new traffic arrangement, which are compatible with the functional operation of the city centre (reviving and strengthening heterogeneity and variety in the city centre by supporting a user-friendly traffic arrangement) have followed.
• Third, the process of individualised mobility marketing based on citizens’ involvement in defining transport policy involved introducing the principle of interactivity in formulating policies and to use the gathered data and public feedback to develop an individualised mobility marketing strategy. Strategic objective of this measure was gradual consolidation i.e. acceptance of the new transport policy by interested publics. Implementation of individualized mobility marketing strategy based on individuals as a target group (inhabitants of Ljubljana and potential users of public transport) in total reached more than 2600 people.
• Forth, supportive actions to the individualized mobility marketing campaign followed in order to amplify the effects of other activities inside the project. These actions were implemented in the form of brochure “Mobile Ljubljana” with comprehensive information on sustainable mobility modes in Ljubljana that has been prepared and sent to households in the city and by the mobility shops called MOB-i-LNICA that functioned as info-points for quality mobility and have been established in the Tourist information centres in order to offer information on sustainable mobility in Ljubljana.

Progress

Overall, the following on-terrain actions were performed inside this measure included:

• Full implementation of Individualised mobility marketing campaign that included more than 2600 people.
• Training workshop on individualised marketing campaign for the relevant city administrators and other stakeholders was performed by REC at COL.
• Production of Training manual - publication on individualised marketing campaign for the use of the relevant city administrators and other stakeholders (i.e. public transport) has been prepared and delivered to the specified public.
• Full implementation of two public opinion surveys (longitudinal public opinion research) “Changes in the public transport arrangement in Ljubljana and Ljubljana region” which altogether included 2314 individuals.
• Two public opinion surveys for the measure 3.1 on the theme of Congestion charging that altogether included 1476 people.
• Two small scale surveys that included 630 and 353 individuals that were included in the Individualised mobility marketing campaign to asses i.e. evaluate the success rate of campaign.
• One public opinion survey for the purpose of measure 8.5 (LJU E-ticketing and fare integration) regarding the Travel habits in Ljubljana urban region” that included 1110 individuals.
• Production of twenty-two specific i.e. measure accustomed data analyse reports for easier implementation of measures, activities of other CIVITAS Elan partners (all stated activities have been described in annexes, WD’s and M’s during the four year period).
• Training of staff at the Mobility Shop
• Implementation of three Mobility shops (former tourist offices).
• Mobility Brochure for 130 000 households within Municipality of Ljubljana published in September 2012.
• Survey for employees at the Municipality in Ljubljana (M4 and WD 10).
• Production of all twenty-four reports on activities, databases, and comparative data analyses in the form of D’s, WD’s and M’s.
• Five presentations, production of scientific papers for round tables, workshops, scientific conferences on the theme of CIVITAS Elan (all stated activities have been described in annexes, WD’s and M’s during the four year period).
• Co-organisation of two workshops with Urbanistic Institute of Slovenia regarding the measure 4.9 Update of the Sustainable Urban Transport Plan.
• Four active participations on CIVITAS Elan day (e.g. production of exhibition posters, presentation of research data, engagement in organised public events, activities etc. - all stated activities have been described in annexes, WD’s and M’s during the four year period).
• Three scientific articles on the theme of CIVITAS Elan published in specialized scientific journals, reviews.
• Several meetings (at least 50 meetings over the span of 4 years) with local partners, evaluators, other partners regarding the implementation of activities inside the CIVITAS Elan project.

Outcomes

The main result of the measure was to inform and motivate people to think about their daily journeys in order to switch to a more sustainable mode of transport. Main tools used in this process were the individual mobility marketing approach through the campaign, the operation of mobility shops and distribution of the Mobile Ljubljana brochure:

1. The individualised mobility marketing campaign that started in May 2011 and altogether reached more than 2.600 households in Ljubljana (with 600 individuals being included in a special deep communication strategy procedure of the individualised mobility marketing campaign). The individualised mobility campaign has gradually informed, prepared and convinced some of the individuals which were included in the IMMC to change the way of thinking of how to use specific forms of transport in the city. From 600 people involved in the deep communication strategy 19,20% declared explicitly, that they will change the travel habits, because of IMMC; a good 50% have declared, that they are reconsidering the future use of current transport mode. In comparison with other cities, which were experimenting on similar tools of direct marketing, the indvidualised mobility marketing campaign in Ljubljana proved to be successful and that such communication strategy as a tool for changing mobility habits in Ljubljana could be used, extended in the future. The process of IMMC benefited local authorities (transformation of public image), public transport operators (increase in the number of users), economic subjects and the social structure (support for revitalisation processes) in the City of Ljubljana, and especially in the city centre. The IMMC influenced people’s mobility behavior and thus ‘indirectly’ helped to increase the functional variety and structure of socio-economic activities, which depend on specific modes of transport. In fact, the new/planned transport arrangements in the city, if combined with other city initiatives, may help to foster the growth of certain economic and social activities on the general scale.

2. Three mobility shops, called MOB-i-LNICA – info-point for quality mobility, have been established in the Tourist information centres in order to offer information on sustainable mobility in Ljubljana. The offices started to operate on 1st of February 2012.  During the preparations for the implementation of Mobility Shops several meetings with partners and evaluators were prepared to exchange information, data and coordination procedures about the current state of work/progress of implementation of Mobility Shops. Before the mobility shops were opened, the some of the partners from the COL took part in special training. The first part of the training took place between 5th and 7th of November 2011 in Graz, where international training for Mobility centres was organised within the SEE MMC project. The second part was organised in on 19th and 25th of January 2012 for staff, working at the Mobility shops.

3. A brochure “Mobile Ljubljana” with comprehensive information on sustainable mobility modes in Ljubljana has been produced and sent to households in the city. In total, more than 130 000 brochures were delivered to households and additional copies are available for further distribution in mobility shops.