Portugal-Vila Nova de Gaia: Enhanced active mobility with MOB+ platform

Challenge

How to empower citizens to choose active travel with enhanced information on walking and cycling routes on the existing mobility platform?

Context

With a municipal area of ​​168 km2, 15 km of coastline and 25 km of riverbank along the Douro River, Vila Nova de Gaia, Portugal is the most populous municipality in the metropolitan territory (303,824 inhabitants in 2021).

Currently, the local mobility platform (MOB+) in Vila Nova de Gaia offers limited information for those travelling on foot, mirroring the wider issue seen in apps like Google Maps and Waze. This presents a challenge for both residents and visitors in selecting the most suitable and sustainable travel option. Only 10% of commuters in the city currently choose to walk or cycle, with 70% opting for private motor vehicles.

One of the key objectives for the city is to enhance the MOB+ platform’s value and encourage its use, nudging users towards active modes of transport. Vila Nova de Gaia is seeking solutions that could be integrated into the platform and help users to identify walking and cycling routes starting from the user’s location, with estimated durations of 15, 30, and 45 minutes, while providing information on pavement conditions, safety, lighting, and elevation. The city is open to other creative solutions to encourage pedestrian and cycling journeys, leveraging the attractiveness and usage of the app, ultimately promoting a shift towards more sustainable and healthy travel choices.

The expected outcome

Increase the use and the value of the existing mobility platform and help users choose the active modes instead of the individual motorised vehicle.

KPI:

• Number of platform users/ month
• Number of times the functionality was used/ month
• % number of users this functionality/ number of platform users

Published on 5 March, 2023.