Development of the pilot plan for a ridesharing system for a university campus in Cuenca, Ecuador

Abstract

The article analyzes the applied research project “!Yo te llevo!” designed and implemented at the pre operation stage, at the University of Cuenca (UCuenca), between September 2019 and February 2020.  ¡Yo te llevo! is a ridesharing system, part of a sustainable mobility initiative for the university community.   The system seeks to increase passenger occupancy in private vehicles on trips to and from the UCuenca university.    The pre operation process showed that socialization and information dissemination among the university community (of the existence of a ridesharing system in the institution, as well as the details of its operation) are essential to generate interest and attract users to the system.  The application of a structured survey to the users in the pre operation stage revealed that the system was more attractive among employees with similar working conditions, such as their role in the institution, and their entry and exit times.  The survey also highlighted the importance that the expectation of a social benefit has for users.  Meeting their travel companions and being able to talk with other people are highly important motivations among users, as it is the possibility of collaborating with their colleagues, in the case of users who fulfilled the role of drivers.