Mediaboss Marketing

Research shows connected' commuters benefit from shorter journey times and less stress.

It's official, social networking has the power to improve the daily commute to and from work. According to the results of the Connected Commuting Task Force study, carried out by the New Cities Foundation, using social media to connect commuters improves the commute by allowing users to share or receive real-time information on traffic issues from an extended commuter community. This also offers commuters greater control over their commute and the opportunity to provide a valuable service to others.

Out on the roads, the research found that drivers who were connected to the service were happier and more relaxed as the constant feedback from others taking the same route enabled them to make real-time adjustments to their journeys and avoid hold-ups and traffic jams. All of which reduced stress levels.

Meanwhile for transit companies, the information gathered through the social networks provides key insights as to routes that require major attention and investment.

The survey was conducted in San Jose, California, in partnership with Ericsson, the City of San Jose's Department of Transportation, the University of California Center for Information Technology Research in the Interest of Society (CITRIS) and two commuter applications, Waze and Roadify. Researchers analyzed over 15,000 user commentaries plus further input from focus group interviews and compared the results with the experiences of unconnected commuters (ie, those without access to the apps) over the same period in order to arrive at their conclusions.

"We hope that cities, research labs and companies will use the findings as a starting point for further innovations in this important field," said Naureen Kabir, Director of the Foundation's Urban Lab of the results.

"In the Networked society, where everything that benefits from a connection will have one, these types of information sharing will help cities reduce commute times and commuters' energy consumption which benefits the environment, the cities and the citizens over the long term," said Patrik Cerwall, Head of Strategic Marketing and Intelligence, Business Unit Networks, Ericsson.

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Social networking could be key to improving transit routes