Let's Hytch LA

Hytch launched its engine and app in January 2018 in its hometown of Nashville,

Tennessee. With modest PR the company acquired over 7,800 registered users, who shared over 4.5 million miles and distributed over $200k in cash rewards to 5,200 users, while eliminating over 2,500 metric tons of carbon. Hytch, because of its innovative solution in “Music City," was the first for-profit recipient of a federal Congestion Mitigation and Air Quality Improvement (CMAQ) program grant in Tennessee. Hytch learned many things through its comprehensive pilot and in the process won Nashville Area Metropolitan Planning Organization’s Innovation Award, Nashville Technology Council, 2018 Emerging Company of the Year Award, Governor’s Environmental Stewardship Award, and the Tennessee Sustainable Transportation Award. In Nashville Hytch was sponsored by Nissan, Sprint, Onin Staffing, Reliant Bank, the Nashville Predators, Lipscomb University, and the City of Brentwood, among others.

As a result of this launch, we have provided a critical tool to community members and allowed public and private entities to take part in solving congestion, improving air quality, and making investments that go back to the community. Some users have indicated that the resources provided to them are equivalent to saving $0.20 on a gallon of gas, or providing them with additional resources to save money on phone bills, transit passes, etc.

Attendance at cultural events

Number of public transit riders

Participation in neighborhood councils

EXECUTION: The “Let’s Hytch LA” Campaign will deliver 1) geo-located rewards to community members to drive transit adoption in desired markets and during desired times 2) in-app marketing during cultural and civic events, 3) in-app surveys for targeted commute data, and 4) analysis of real-time mobility trends. LA2050 support coupled with regional sponsor funding will build a loyal Hytch user community through gamification with cash rewards and user engagement through earned and paid media, social platforms, and in-app awareness education. Our tool will provide the following to Angelenos:

-Hytch’s Mobility Rules Engine™ provides the power to design rewards to drive specific mobility behavior change that have the most impact on congestion in LA County.

-Hytch’s Planet Saver™ certifies the environmental impact of sharing rides.

-Hytch’s Shared Commute™ dashboard provides near-real-time feedback on rules.

-Hytch also enables LA2050 stakeholders to export the anonymous data for modeling purposes to see micro/macro level impacts throughout the region.

-Hytch’s patent-pending Apple and Android user app administers the rewards and certifies number of occupants, origination, mode of travel, distance, time, route, destination and environmental impact.

POPULATION BEING SERVED: In 2017 NRIX ranked Los Angeles as the #1 most congested US city, and #1 in peak hours lost in congestion, which costs the City of LA $19.2 billion. Hytch’s target population is the 72% of LA County residents opting for the SOV in their daily commute, which is both the root cause of the problem and the single-largest source of unused capacity (empty seats). Hytch offers the 72% SOV users incentives to improve air quality, connect with civic opportunities, and be rewarded for carbon neutral rides.

Hytch addresses equity by rewarding positive transit behavior and layering cash rewards to all who use mass transit and rideshare.

TIMELINE: We will deliver a scalable, one-year “Let’s Hytch LA” Campaign to engage commuters and community members according to the following timeline:

-Announce and commence market communications (July 2019)

-Develop rules/targets with relevant stakeholders (August 2019)

-Define key performance indicators (KPIs) (August/September 2019)

-Launch app with education and outreach initiative (October 2019)

-Analyze data from 12-month KPIs (June 2020)

-Refine education and outreach initiatives and reward targets as necessary (Ongoing)

-Develop annual impact assessment and reward structure (Close of Project)

MEASURABLE PROGRESS: Hytch will measure our progress in relation to the goals identified by LA2050 for the three Connect metrics: 1) Is Public Transit ridership measurable and increasing? 2) Are Hytch rides ending at public events, which now have higher attendance rates? 3) Are Hytch rides ending at neighborhood council meetings, creating an increase in participation?

Since baselines have been set for metrics regarding Public Transit (35% of Commuters), Attendance at Cultural Events (50% of Households), and Participation in Neighborhood Council Meetings (10% will Vote), we will use the Hytch platform to verify, track, and measure success in relation to those metrics. Trips will be verified in-app and surveys will be deployed to measure behavior change, adoption, and participation in all of the Connect metrics identified. We will work with LA2050 to better understand baseline information and provide dynamic visuals and heatmaps as a result of the data collected, while providing equitable and accessible transportation options during civic events.

To track these goals, Hytch will:

-Deliver mobility data without PII for the purpose of modeling impacts of each rule - i.e., sets of specific rewards - funded by the Campaign.

-Develop a Campaign Dashboard to capture program metrics.

-Define and deliver KPIs

-Extend a limited license to use existing and future platform/mobile application capabilities as the platform evolves over time.

-Design geo-targeted marketing and educational content delivered by the platform helping ensure each Campaign participant is exposed on a regular basis to the appropriate alternative transit options.