Heathrow introduces incentives app to encourage sustainable commuting
Heathrow Airport is piloting a new Way2Go app, built by BetterPoints, to encourage and reward airport staff for reducing their reliance on single-occupancy car journeys. The app will help reduce CO2 emissions from surface transport and support the airport’s Surface Access Strategy and Net Zero Plan, which were published last year.
From 9 May to 11 August, employees at the airport who work for Heathrow Airport Limited, Border Force and World Duty Free are able to download the free Way2Go app and automatically earn Way2Go Points for walking, cycling, car-sharing and using public transport on their commutes to and from work. Way2Go Points are reward points with real cash value, which can be exchanged for vouchers or donated to charity, directly through the app.
Building on the work of Heathrow’s well-established Way2Go scheme, the new app has been purpose-built by the behaviour change experts BetterPoints, to reward staff for the greener journeys they make and to gather data about transport choices to help Heathrow meet their Surface Access and net zero goals.
Heathrow aims to reduce surface access carbon emissions by 49% by 2030 (from 2021 levels), and to reduce the number of staff that rely on single-occupancy car journeys by encouraging them to commute by more active and sustainable modes of transport.
The Way2Go app allows colleagues to record their journeys and earn Way2Go Points for commuting more sustainably. During the pilot programme, push notifications and in-app messages will encourage participation, and the app’s dashboard will show their progress as well as the CO2 emissions they save by not using a car.
The technology also enables Heathrow to target specific routes, such as its Active and Sustainable Travel Corridors. Employees in these locations or using these routes will receive extra incentives as well as information about getting the most out of them.
Tim Wells, Heathrow’s Surface Access Travel & Policy Lead, said:
“We want to create a step-change in the culture of car use as the main mode of travel to work, and for public transport, car sharing, walking and cycling to be the default choices for colleague travel.
“The Way2Go app pilot will encourage and reward colleagues for using these greener modes of transport, and help us better understand their transport choices, the incentives they need to change their behaviour, and the obstacles that act against that.
“We are extremely proud that the innovation Heathrow Airport embarks on today sets the benchmark for carbon reduction in surface transport strategy for the aviation industry and it is a world first for the UK.”
Richard Kirk, BetterPoints CEO, said:
“We are delighted to be working with Heathrow Airport – Europe’s largest – on this significant pilot for changing commuter behaviour. Embedding more environmental behaviour with corporate employees can make an enormous contribution to net zero goals, produce a measurable return on investment, and contribute to a healthier wider community.”
