The London Luton Airport Sustainable Surface Access Staff Mode Shift project aims to transform how employees commute by promoting sustainable travel options through innovative data collection and AI-driven behavioural insights. The project is a collaborative effort between London Luton Airport and a team of academics and consultants.
“It’s an exciting opportunity to test AI’s potential in driving real change in travel behaviours, not only for our airport but for the wider industry,” says Andy Martin, Surface Access Development Manager at London Luton Airport.
The collaboration began when Andy, new to the airport sector but an experienced transport planner, noticed a LinkedIn post about the FTVG project. He presented his vision for sustainable travel solutions at an FTVG workshop, capturing the interest of experts from Bare Analysis and Geppetto Consulting. This shared vision led to a diverse and skilled project team.
“Armed with nothing but a (seemingly!) good idea, we pitched the concept, and before long, a project team was born,” recalls Joshua Hooley, Sustainable Travel Plan Coordinator at London Luton Airport.
With each member contributing unique expertise—from data analytics and behavioural research to sustainable travel coordination—the team is well-equipped to tackle the complex challenges of reducing carbon emissions and enhancing job accessibility through sustainable commuting.
London Luton Airport serves as the project’s testbed, with an ambitious goal to increase the share of sustainable travel among its staff from 21% to 35% by 2028. This shift is essential for reducing Scope 3 emissions, increasing local job accessibility, and mitigating surface access issues related to the airport’s potential expansion.
“We’re pioneering an approach that integrates deep ethnographic insights with AI capabilities to learn from the complex context of the airport environment,” explains Dr. Felicity Heathcote-Marcz, Director of Bare Analysis.
By leveraging AI to analyse both qualitative and quantitative data, the team aims to deliver highly personalised, actionable prompts that encourage sustainable travel choices, ultimately offering a replicable model for the broader transport sector.
Beyond its local impact, this project has the potential to inform sustainable transport planning nationwide, demonstrating the feasibility of using AI to incorporate nuanced, context-driven data into travel planning systems. If successful, the project’s approach could become a model for developers, local authorities, and transport planners across the UK.
The project will begin with an in-depth analysis of current surface access travel behaviours among all London Luton Airport staff, including those employed by third-party organisations. Initially, the team will conduct a desktop review of existing data to understand current travel patterns and identify the primary factors influencing these behaviours. This analysis will set the foundation for a new staff travel survey, to be launched in the summer of 2024, aimed at capturing up-to-date data on employee commuting habits.
In parallel, the project will undertake extensive stakeholder engagement, benchmarking best practices by comparing results with other airports. Ethnographic research will form a critical component of this phase, involving in-context interviews and shadowing of representative staff members at the airport.
“Our aim is to gain a rich, qualitative understanding of the travel challenges faced by various staff demographics,” says Dr. Nima Dadashzadeh from the University of Huddersfield
Observations at key transport hubs and access points will further inform the AI’s ability to interpret complex behaviours and respond with precise, sustainable travel recommendations.
The analysis of these ethnographic findings will feed into an AI workshop designed to generate practical outputs. During this workshop, the team will explore how the qualitative insights and survey data can shape AI algorithms to deliver personalised, sustainable travel nudges. The workshop will culminate in the development of prototype tools that encourage behavioural change, such as tailored recommendations for low-emission commuting options.
In its final phase, the project will compile a comprehensive presentation, including a slide deck and video content, to convey its findings and AI-driven concepts to key stakeholders, including the FTVG and London Luton Airport’s Steering Group.
“Our goal is to secure the investment needed to advance these ideas and drive real change in surface access sustainability,” says Andrew Longman, an AI consultant, “It seeks to establish a model for targeted behavioural nudges that encourage staff to switch to more sustainable modes of transport.”
By demonstrating how AI can enhance sustainable travel initiatives, the project hopes to lay the groundwork for industry-wide adoption of similar strategies, enabling scalable and efficient sustainable transport solutions.
This project exemplifies how data-driven insights and innovative technology can converge to address pressing challenges in sustainable transport. Through this initiative, London Luton Airport and its partners aim to foster a long-term culture of sustainable travel, paving the way for smarter, greener infrastructure in the aviation sector and beyond.
This project explores the feasibility of establishing a universal battery swapping and charging infrastructure to support the adoption of electric motorcycles in Uganda and the UK. The team, led by Dr. Chris Byaruhanga, a lecturer and researcher at Kyambogo University in Uganda, aims to address the challenges of accessibility and convenience for electric motorcycle users by creating a standardised, cross-brand solution for battery swapping and charging.
“In both Uganda and the UK, motorcycles have become essential for transportation and delivery services, and with the shift towards e-mobility, there’s a growing need for supportive infrastructure,” explains Chris.
Joining Dr. Byaruhanga on this ambitious project are Dr. Dilum Dissanayake, an Associate Professor of Transportation Planning at the University of Birmingham, and Eng. Ivan Ssensamba, an experienced engineer in traffic systems and data analysis. Together, they bring a wealth of expertise in transport policy, data analysis, and infrastructure development, and are well-positioned to tackle the complex landscape of electric motorcycle infrastructure in both countries.
The growing adoption of motorcycles in Uganda and the UK, each with unique motivations and challenges, provides the backdrop for this project. In Uganda, the popularity of Boda-Boda motorcycles as a flexible and efficient mode of public transport highlights the need for sustainable alternatives. In the UK, motorcycle registrations have risen in recent years, partly driven by the pandemic’s surge in delivery services and a push toward decarbonising transport by phasing out fossil-fuel motorcycles by 2035. While electric motorcycles present a promising solution, their success depends on the availability of widespread, convenient charging and swapping stations—a critical gap in both countries.
“Currently, Uganda has isolated battery swapping stations operated by individual companies, which limits accessibility and requires riders to locate specific brand stations,” notes Chris.
This lack of a universal infrastructure presents both logistical and practical challenges for electric motorcycle riders, reducing the appeal of e-mobility. The project aims to investigate the technical and financial viability of a unified battery-swapping network, which would streamline access and support the adoption of electric motorcycles across diverse brands and regions.
The feasibility study will take a participatory approach, involving key stakeholders in both Uganda and the UK to gather insights on their needs and expectations for a universal swapping and charging hub. The project will begin by identifying the current electric motorcycle service providers and mapping existing battery-swapping locations. Motorcycle associations and relevant stakeholders in both countries will also be engaged to explore potential collaborations and partnerships for a universal infrastructure.
Workshops will be held with stakeholders to examine current challenges, business models, and opportunities for standardisation. These sessions will focus on addressing the project’s central question: “Is it feasible to establish a universal battery charging and swapping hub for electric motorcycles?” Additionally, interviews and surveys with stakeholders will help capture data to understand operational models and user needs in the context of battery swapping and charging.
The main outputs of this project will include a comprehensive map of existing infrastructure and a feasibility report. The map will offer a visual overview of current battery-swapping locations, aiding users and operators in understanding the existing landscape. The feasibility report will provide technical, market, and financial analyses, delivering insights into the potential of universal, standardised battery swapping and charging. This report will also offer guidance on optimal business models and operational strategies for current retailers, helping both companies and motorcycle riders make informed decisions about adopting electric motorcycles.
This FTVG-funded project holds significant promise for transforming the electric motorcycle ecosystem in Uganda and the UK. A universal battery-swapping infrastructure would increase the convenience and appeal of electric motorcycles, supporting sustainability goals and aligning with global trends toward e-mobility.
“If successful, this universal infrastructure could pave the way for more affordable and accessible electric mobility in countries with diverse transport needs,” says Dilum.
The findings of this feasibility study will provide critical guidance for policymakers, transport planners, and business leaders, offering a replicable framework that could extend beyond Uganda and the UK. By fostering collaboration across stakeholders, this project aims to demonstrate the potential for scalable, standardised infrastructure that makes electric mobility a viable choice for more riders worldwide.