Lucerne Mobility Challenge: Over 50 people give up their own car for a month

As part of the Lucerne Mobile Challenge, over 50 people will be experiencing exactly this from next weekend. The aim is for them to spend a month travelling as sustainably and efficiently as possible. The cantonal umbrella brand Luzernmobil wants to use the challenge to encourage a conscious approach to personal mobility. The experiences and challenges of the participants are shared openly.

Next weekend, around 50 people will swap their car licence plates for car-sharing and public transport credit, an e-bike and free co-working days. This is the second time that the mobility experiment has been initiated and organised by Luzernmobil. The aim is to break habits and get to know sustainable and space-efficient forms of mobility over the course of a month. The participants' experiences are shared openly, honestly and transparently in a blog on Luzernmobil.ch and via the programme «anders unterwegs» on Tele1. The aim of the Luzernmobil Challenge is to show that everyone is part of the solution when it comes to making a contribution to the mobility transition. The experiment is intended to sensitise the population and encourage them to take a conscious approach to their own mobility. The mobility challenge was already carried out last autumn as a pilot project with five households and met with high demand. For this reason, the challenge was organised this year with significantly more participants. All applicants were able to take part.

From anticipation to uncertainty: mixed feelings among the participants
Developing a new mobility routine is not easy. Last year's event showed this and Sarah Troxler, project manager of the Lucerne Mobility Challenge, confirms this: "One or two people were actually overjoyed that they got their licence plate back after the challenge. People are creatures of habit, even when it comes to mobility". Nevertheless, the challenge is having an effect: one participant in last year's pilot project sold his car and has since favoured public transport and his e-bike. If he needs a car, he borrows one from his neighbourhood or uses a car-sharing scheme. Another person bought the fast e-bike after the challenge and has been travelling much more by e-bike since then. Once again this year, the participants' feelings are mixed but confident. Silvia from Kriens is taking part in the challenge with her husband and two young children. She is grateful that her children will get to see new perspectives on mobility. "We are really looking forward to travelling with the e-bikes and the bike trailer. At the same time, there are also concerns. What if the weather doesn't play ball, we need more storage space or we need to get somewhere quickly without planning?" Silvia and her family are already trying out multimodal travel - for example, she travels to the shops by car and to swimming lessons by public transport. Another participant, Renate from Willisau, has set herself clear goals. "I'll be retired in 10 years and from then on I want to live car-free. The challenge is therefore a good exercise for me". Thomas from Schlierbach is also testing new and alternative options for travelling to work. "I want to do without the car in future. That's what motivates me to take on this challenge." The challenge will also be a challenge for Sandra from Neuenkirch. She has never travelled on an e-bike before. "I often use the car without thinking and out of sheer convenience. So I'm very excited to see what's in store for me and my husband," she says.

You can follow the Lucerne Mobility Challenge here

From 22 April 2024 on www.tele1.ch/anders-unterwegs
Ongoing in the blog at www.Luzernmobil.ch/challenge
On social media: lnstagram, Facebook and LinkedIn
Peter Bolliger on lnstagram and TikTok, @peter.bolliger

If you're not taking part in the mobility challenge yourself, you can still try out new forms of mobility thanks to the deals from Luzernmobil.