altVerto: using intervention and community to promote alternative transportation

Abstract

We seek to motivate drivers who regularly use web-based local and mapping services and have access to viable alternative transit methods — such as public transportation, carpooling, walking or bicycling — to use these alternatives instead of driving alone. altVerto works with users’ existing habits to intervene during trip planning, and then sustains long-term positive behavior through progress tracking and community-building around alternatives to driving. Our study investigates how computer-mediated intervention at decision making moments and online transit-related community motivates and sustains the use of alternative transit methods.