Fun, eco-friendly or functional - why travellers want to try new, green modes of transport
Agenda 2030 PhD student Phil Flores' thesis provides answers to what motivates people to use new modes of transport that are marketed as environmentally friendly. For many people, shared electric scooters and bicycles are used primarily because they contribute to positive emotions – it's fun.
There is great interest in how innovations can reduce the environmental impact of the transport sector, not least in public transport.
Phil Flores is defending his PhD at Lund University with a thesis that investigates what motivates people to use new modes of transport that are marketed as environmentally friendly. The thesis focuses on two emerging transport innovations - shared electric scooters and electric bicycles.
Phil's research shows that travellers choose transport for a variety of reasons that are not always consistent with the intention of the providers. These include functionality and environmental impact, but also motives related to social status and entertainment.
"Even if green innovations are developed to reduce environmental impacts, that is not always why they are used. For successful regulation and integration of new modes of transport into the transport system, one should reflect on how they will actually be used before introducing them," says Phil Flores.
Replaces journeys by public transport and walking
Shared electric scooters and bicycles have been presented as environmentally friendly alternatives with the potential to complement public transport and replace car use. However, Phil's research shows that travelling with these vehicles instead replaces travelling by public transport and walking.
"For many people, shared electric scooters and bicycles are used not primarily because it is convenient, or because it is considered environmentally friendly, but because it contributes to positive emotions. It's just fun," says Phil Flores.
The results show that travellers mainly use shared e-scooters and e-bikes for their entire journey, not to get to the nearest stop or station. "When users were asked what mode of transport they would use if they were not travelling with these vehicles, most responded that they would walk or use public transport," says Phil.
How innovative you are matters
Phil's research suggests that those who embrace innovation and want to try new things are more likely to try new modes of transport. But the study also shows that people can be innovative in different categories that affect how open they are to changing their travelling habits.
"You can have an interest in the environment without being particularly interested in transport. Then you may want to test innovations in public transport because it is considered an environmentally friendly product. Someone else may want to try new modes of transport, not because they care about the environment, but because there is a fundamental interest in transport," explains Phil.
"The results suggest that there is a wide range of potential audiences to which the marketing of green transport innovations can be tailored," says Phil Flores.
Considerations for increasing the uptake of green transport innovations
Take into account that there are different motivations for using new modes of transport.
- Find out the traveller's perception of how functional and environmentally friendly a mode of transport is, how its use is perceived to affect social status, and how the travel experience can be made more pleasant.
- Highlight the fun and enjoyable aspects of sharing a journey with others when marketing shared mobility services. Provide feedback on the environmental impact while travelling.
- Target the marketing of shared mobility services to people interested in innovations in the transport and/or eco-friendly product categories.
- Continue to introduce new features on an ongoing basis and emphasise them in the marketing of green transport innovations.
Phil Flores is a PhD student at the Agenda 2030 Gradudate School, K2 (Sweden's national center for research and education on public transport) and the School of Economics at Lund University.
On 13 October 2023 Phil successfully defended his thesis Not all green innovations are created equal: Consumer innovativeness and motivations in the adoption of shared micromobility.
This article is written by Ebba Wihlborg and was originally published in Swedish on the K2 website.
Read more about Phil Flores research and download his thesis in the Lund University Research Portal
Related Sustainable Development Goals:
"My research was part of a bigger picture than I had imagined"
How has the Agenda 2030 Graduate School helped you to work in a more interdisciplinary way with a focus on sustainability?
"The Graduate School introduced me to interdisciplinary research. At no point in my academic journey did I realise the importance of collaborating with people from different fields to solve societal problems, including the climate crisis we face. The Agenda 2030 Graduate School allowed me to learn from and collaborate with passionate researchers from different backgrounds, and helped me realise that my research was part of a bigger picture than I had imagined. In particular, it provided me with the platform, in the form of conferences and seminars, to discover how my research could be part of solving sustainability problems related to transport," says Phil Flores.
What did you appreciate most about the Graduate School?
"The camaraderie, above all. The life of a PhD student can be long and isolating. The Graduate School made me feel supported and cared for throughout my PhD life. Without the friends I made through the Graduate School, my PhD journey would have been less exciting and fun. Thank you, Agenda 2030 Graduate School!"