Friday, January 18, 2013

The Hub comes to EFES



 

The health benefits of biking to school are well documented, but getting kids and adults to bike on a regular basis continues to be a challenge. That is where an inventive program like The Hub, which collects data and awards prizes for changing habits, is so important.

This past Fall, Corner Cycle and the Saris Cycling Group of Madison, Wisconsin purchased The Hub for the East Falmouth Elementary School. We are the first school in all of New England to use The Hub to collect data on active commuting and to offer an incentive program for students and staff who walk or bike to school.

The Hub is a digital card reader that collects data on students and staff that walk or bike to school. A small cohort of students and staff have been piloting the program since October, and the plan is to get more of the EFES community involved this Spring.

The Hub is a hardware and software package that makes it simple, educational, and effective to implement a walking and biking incentive program for schools and businesses. Used as a system, these tools make it a piece of cake to administer a custom incentive program and the friendly competition gives ample encouragement for individuals to get out and ride.

Here’s how it works: RIDE. SCAN. EARN.

Step 1: Ride
When the rider arrives, they simply scan their "card" by the tracker to have their trip recorded.

Step 2: Scan

The tracker transmits the data securely to a website that tabulates the rider’s trips.

Step 3: Earn

The website shows commuting statistics for each person, sub-group (classroom or department) and the group as a whole. Each group creates their own method of rewards. The East Falmouth Elementary School has teamed up with Bike Falmouth, Corner Cycle, the Falmouth Chamber of Commerce, and Cape Cod 5 Bank to offer incentives such as t-shirts, bike lights, bells, helmets, and other bike related prizes. Friendly competition is encouraged- nothing is better than class or grade level rivalry to spark motivation.

We would love to see other schools and organizations (WHOI, Falmouth Hospital, etc.) purchase The Hub and start to encourage active commuting. Saris has a commitment to cycling advocacy and has proven that they are willing to work with the Falmouth Schools.

More information on The Hub:
http://thehub.saris.com/TheHub/

YouTube Video on The Hub:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EYyOU5bUBZY

Contact Us:

Jay Hauptmann
4th Grade Teacher, East Falmouth Elementary School

Heather Fortune
Advocacy Coordinator, Saris Cycling Group
hfortune@saris.com
608-729-6147
Saris Cycling Group
5253 Verona Road
Madison, WI 53711