This fall, we chatted about Dynamic Incentivization (DI) with Monica Backmon, Chief Executive Officer of the Northern Virginia Transportation Authority, and Jennifer DeBruhl, Chief of Public Transportation at the Virginia Department of Rail and Public Transportation. You can read more about this program element, and the incentives it offers the traveling public to mitigate congestion in real time, in this month’s digest.
What is Dynamic Incentivization, or DI? What is its role in the larger structure of RM3P?
Monica Backmon (MB): We are focused on trying to reduce congestion on the transportation network and incentivizing people to get out of their single-occupancy vehicles—by taking another mode, modifying their trip, or delaying their trip. Dynamic Incentivization is different because current TDM incentives expect commuters to make a long-term commitment. Making ad-hoc travel behavior changes is really not part of the currently offered incentives.
Jennifer DeBruhl (JD): What we get with DI is a lot more flexibility in terms of encouraging travelers to make different choices and rewarding that travel behavior. We’re able to put all of the decision-making information that’s part of RM3P in the hands of the commuter so that they can make those changes and those different travel decisions on the fly.
What are the larger goals of the DI program?
JD: We’re leveraging the work that we have going on with different regional stakeholders that work in transportation demand management. With DI, we will share real-time incident and incentive information with these partners with the overall goal of improving the efficiency of the transportation network and benefiting all users of that network, including our commuters.
MB: Long-term reductions in single-occupancy vehicle usage is key for this. The region must strive to reduce our dependence on driving alone.
What is the final product of the DI program?
JD: Ultimately, it’s putting that information at your fingertips through an app. That application on your phone is going to be able to provide the user with some incentives, whether they’re using an app that’s specifically created to support this, or RM3P data in other existing apps.
What type of information will be provided to travelers through the DI program?
MB: The DI program will offer real-time dynamic incentives. For example, if there’s a crash on I-66 that will cause major delays, the commuter may be offered a cup of coffee to delay their trip by 30 minutes. This dynamic incentivization—through a free coffee, cash offer, or whatever the offer may be—will be very important in getting people to delay their trips–or choose an alternative mode or route of travel—so they’re not stuck in gridlock.
The offered incentives will be for changing modes, routes, and/or departure time in ways that lessen the overall impact of congestion and incidents. There may also be a loyalty program for long-term reinforcement. Users may gain status, like with airline or hotel points.
What are some of the obstacles that may prevent the DI program from successfully changing travel behavior, and what is RM3P doing to combat those obstacles?
MB: We must maintain customer focus through continuous marketing. We have to earn trust. We do live in a day where we have a lot of technology – our phones are like mini-computers! We want to make sure we market appropriately to let people know that this is something that does apply to you, you can use it, and you can benefit from it.
JD: On the backend of that, we need to create relationships that are necessary to sustain that resource. Whether it’s partnerships with businesses to help provide those incentives, or partnerships with different commuter assistance programs that serve the region to help promote the availability of data, or partnerships with other entities or other applications that may be able to use that data—those are all things we’re going to need to do to make the app as strong as can be.
Financial sustainability is an important aspect of the DI program. How does RM3P plan to achieve this key principle?
MB: Our goal is to find ways to reduce and ultimately eliminate the long-term need for using public money to fund incentives and rewards. When you’re looking at public resources, the pool is very limited. We want to include agency partners to contribute incentives—discounted parking, transit passes, whatever the case may be. We’ll cultivate new relationships with the private sector and make sure we’re building upon existing relationships so that we can provide incentives in exchange for the exposure that it offers.
What other thoughts do you have about DI and RM3P?
JD: Commuter programs and trying to change travel behavior is a changing-hearts-and-minds kind of business. The easier we can make it to give that commuter information at their fingertips—with a little reward along the way—for making choices that help the overall network to work better, the more likely it will be well-received and it will have the desired impact. By channeling that information to help people make decisions in the here and now, before they get in their car, before they get on the interstate, before they get stuck in that traffic jam, we have a new tool through this project to help move the needle in terms of reducing congestion, single-occupancy vehicle use, and the negative impacts on the environment that both of those things have.