Oxfordshire County Council is trying to incentivise more people to choose to walk, cycle or use public transport by rewarding them with vouchers and prizes through an app.
The ‘BetterPoints’ app provides rewards and prizes when users travel in a way that is less damaging to the environment than using the car, such as taking the bus or walking. The app also shares tips and advice on health and wellbeing, identifying the benefits that active travel options provide to the user and our planet.
Residents who are interested in getting involved can download the BetterPoints app from their smartphone’s app store or online. Once registered, users receive rewards in the form of digital currency for their logged journeys. This digital currency can be used in various ways: donated to charity, spent at a local participating businesses or redeemed for vouchers valid for retailers such as Argos, Costa, Tesco, Amazon and Ikea.
The app also provides weekly and monthly prize draws and contests, with the chance to win digital currency or prizes such as a European city break.
The County Council is hoping the app will incentivise more people to reduce car use, reducing congestion on the roads and lessening the negative impact of transport on the environment. Find out more about it on the BetterPoints webpage.