Urban Engines

Urban Engines

As cities become more and more congested, the need for innovative solutions to over crowded public transport systems is becoming ever more apparent.

This is the problem Urban Engines is looking to tackle, and their work in Singapore could set an interesting precedent for the rest of the world in 2015. There, commuters who have signed up to Urban Engines and registered their commuter cards can earn rewards when they travel. They will earn one point for every kilometre travelled during peak hours, or triple that amount when travelling off-peak. The points earned can then be converted into discounts on future journeys, or put towards an in-app raffle game, where they have the opportunity to win sums of money. Urban Engines claim there’s been a 7 to 13 percent reduction in journeys made during peak hours, with 200,000 commuters taking part.

It’s a similar approach to US-based Ohmconnnect, which aimed to encourage homeowners to switch off devices when dirty power plants were serving their house. The app notified customers of the best times to reduce energy use and offered cash rewards for doing so.