Science proves that endorphins have always been the best remedy for body fatigue and stress, and we do also believe in their magic power! That’s why we decided to take this challenge ourselves at the beginning of July. Several teams from our staff were competing in the MUV challenge, and we were reporting how we were doing on a weekly basis. If you missed our periple through the EIT Sustainable Mobility Challenge, check it out now in this article.
The EIT Urban Mobility and MUV, an Italian startup providing gamified experience to boost active and sustainable mobility, joined forces to run a pilot for its employees. This pilot experience last 4 weeks and apart from pursuing environmentally friendly commuting, we aimed to improve physical and mental health thanks to the power of regular exercise.
The MUVment has almost 50 members on board ready to challenge themselves and to motivate each other with the team-based dynamic gameplay. How it works? By leaving your private car in the garage and choosing more sustainable way of commuting, you are collecting points by registering the trip via the app. The more active way you move, the more points you can get contributing to the final score of your team. The algorithm rewards also for regularity, weather conditions and on the basis of the current traffic the participant is reducing thanks to the conscious choices.
Week 1
The first Monday of the MUV Challenge made the teams accelerate in their pursuit of victory. After the successful kick-off, dozens of trips were recorded across the EU, covering all the EIT UM locations. In parallel to the point counter, the number of users also grew as two new teams on-boarded to the MUV app. Improving our health and reducing our carbon footprint is our motivation and the numbers confirm the high awareness of its importance. Although the leaderboard seems to be dominated by three teams running head-to-head, everything can happen as long as the countdown is activated. The Hoppers must watch their backs because who knows what the next sunrise brings…
Week 2
Playing with mobility-related phrases that we all love, hop-on hop-off is the one that best fits the brief summary of the second week. Over the last seven days, there were three teams simultaneously taking the lead in the dynamic competition where finally, opponents did allow the Hoppers to keep their pole position, recovered as late as Sunday afternoon. With holidays around the corner and the off-season already happening in some parts of Europe, commuting still remains the backbone of the scoreboard. However, it seems that outdoor activities will soon take over to be a main booster for the weekly performance. And the hot summer will surely affect the temperature of the competition during the upcoming week. So do not hesitate to hop on your bicycle and MUV with seven teams from the EIT Urban Mobility!
Week 3
Consistency has always been mentioned among the virtues that pave the way to the success and once again its strength has been proved. Mesmerizing team spirit and commitment of employees let the company hit the highest – so far – number of points registered in a week time. The virtual counter with over 550,000 points may amaze, but it becomes truly magic when expressed in the equivalent of CO2 saved. After the third sprint, team Move & Shakers is closer to the glory than ever with a serious challenge for the Hoppers who were leading the first half of the game. Nevertheless, all the teams that have significantly increased the mileage traveled in a sustainable way, deserve an applause. It seems that new routines will stay for longer.
¨Although it takes some time getting used to adding all journeys, I think MUV is an awesome initiative that helps encourage people to be more active and to add a bit of a challenge within the company while simultaneously bringing all of us from different hubs to work together to win! – said Charlotte, one of the participants.
Also, for Sarah, the choice is now simple: ¨Thanks to the MUV app, I now almost always opt for walking or cycling instead of taking the metro or bus to get around Barcelona.¨
There was still time to shine in the last week of this first episode! Let’s see what happened next!
Week 4
While all good things are usually coming quickly to the end, we believe that good habits can stay with us for longer. This is the finish line of the EIT Sustainable Mobility Challenge, a 4-week pilot experience that, with fun, brought more understanding to how we commute and move around the European cities. The Hoppers rushed the last straight to the undisputed victory but shared their glory with all those who decided to face their unsustainable practices. The unrevealed relationship between the environmental and health aspects coupled by Active Mobility seems to be the key takeaway for more than 60 employees who experienced a win-win situation. And although the virtual points counter stopped at the stroke of midnight, the game continues. The future mobility of cities and our health are in our hands.
We have the winners!
Thank you, dear reader, for being with us. To satisfy your curiosity, and to better understand our behaviors, we will publish a more detailed analysis once the data will be available. Stay tuned and keep MUVing!
Active Mobility can be your choice, so do the first MUV today!
