Imperial College London is partnering with Enterprise Rent-a-Car and Brompton Bikes on a pilot mobility hub designed to offer greater choice in urban transport.
Imperial staff have been invited to express interest in a trial mobility hub that will offer participants free loan of a folding Brompton bike and access to an on campus car club with two low-emission alternative fuel vehicles provided on the South Kensington campus by Enterprise Car Club.
The hub is designed to offer participants a greater menu of choices when they travel to and between campuses, enabling them to more easily mix and match walking, cycling, driving and public transport in the course of a day rather than relying on a single mode of transport.
For example, the folding bikes can be transported by car or public transport when required while the car club will offer participants the option to make car journeys when necessary while leaving private cars at home.
The trial is part of a study by Imperial researchers that aims to understand the uptake of shared mobility schemes and their potential to enable sustainable travel choices.
Trial participants will be asked to complete a series of questionnaires to support the research, which is a part of Transition to Zero Pollution, an Imperial initiative to help develop a more sustainable society.
Selected participants will have access to a pedal-powered or electric folding bike on full-time loan for two months or via a pool of bikes available for short-term loan from the Ethos gym in South Kensington.
They will also have access to an electric car and hydrogen-powered car both provided by Enterprise on the South Kensington campus for work use when needed.
Dr Audrey de Nazelle, senior lecturer at Imperial’s Centre for Environmental Policy, said: “Leaving the car at home and cycling to work can bring huge benefits to health and the environment.
“With support from our partners at Enterprise and Brompton the mobility hub is a great chance to try out cycling to work without the commitment of buying a bike and with the reassurance that an electric or hydrogen car is available if you need it.
“Participants will also be playing a massively helpful role into supporting our research on interventions for greener workplaces and cities.”
The initiative is in addition to the Cycle to Work scheme that Imperial recently implemented to help staff spread the cost of owning a bike, as well as the expanded guidance from Move Imperial on active travel.
According to Imperial, the mobility hub could provide an opportunity to trial a bike prior to joining the scheme.
