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TRACT project | TRAnsport Behaviour Change Trials

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  • Project Team:
    • Prof. Brian Caulfield, Principal investigator, TCD (Civil Engineering)
    • Prof. Margaret O’Mahony, Co-investigator, TCD (Civil Engineering)
    • Dr. Sam Cromie, Co-investigator, TCD (Psychology)
    • Prof. Owen Conlan, Co-investigator, TCD (Computer Science)
    • Dr. Ubaid Illahi, Postdoctoral Researcher, TCD (Civil Engineering)
    • Dr. Tushar Pramod Choudhari, Postdoctoral Researcher TCD (Civil Engineering)


  • Location:
    • Dublin, Ireland.


  • Themes:
    • Electric and Shared Mobility.


  • Specific Policies/Targets Addressed:
    • Climate Action Plan.


  • Description:
    • The transportation sector in Ireland needs to reduce 51% of emissions by 2030 followed by achieving a net zero emission by 2050 (Climate Action and Low Carbon Development [Amendment] Bill 2021). The introduction of Electric vehicles (EVs) and Shared Mobility Hubs seems to be promising in reducing emissions. Therefore, TRACT attempts to contribute to the ambitious Climate Change targets through two distinctive trials involving an interdisciplinary approach:

      1. Transition to Electric Vehicles
      The e-mobility trial will consist of a TRACT smartphone app that will be developed to inform users about their driving behaviour and the impact of switching to an electric vehicle. Several specific use cases will be examined (those without driveways, taxi drivers, and rural groups) to determine what would encourage them to switch

      2. Mobility Hubs
      The shared mobility-hub trial will combine the use of shared bikes, cars, active modes and public transport. A suburban location will be selected, and shared cars and bikes (provided by partners Yuko & BleeperBike) will be located there, advertised and promoted to the community. This model has been shown to reduce car ownership and emissions internationally.

      The trials will enable the TRACT researchers to measure the impacts of these interventions. The results from the trials will be extrapolated to the wider population to demonstrate what the potential emissions reduction could be in similar areas and user groups. A cost-effective analysis, looking at wider economic benefits, will also be conducted at several stages of the project to feed into policymakers and inform local and national policy.

  • Expected Project Impacts:
    • Model for other transport pilot programs:Local authorities, industry, and academia collaboration.

    • Largest datasets on EV use in Ireland: Evidence collected from the EV app trial.

    • Opportunity for tailored policy interventions:Use cases enabling policymakers to yield maximum impacts.

    • Observation of modal shift and emission reduction impact: Analysis of the mobility hub.

    • International use and results advancement:Potential of the TRACT app.

    • Examination of emission reduction interventions:TRACT project as one of the first large-scale transport behavioural trials in Ireland.
    • Production of meaningful results for stakeholder dissemination:Highlighting transport's environmental impacts and mitigation of emissions.
  • Funding Agency:
    • SEAI