One Small Step Web Services

The Dublin Transportation Office commissioned a public information campaign to encourage the residents of the Greater Dublin Area [GDA] to think about their commuting and travel habits. The campaign’s objective is to help people move away from driving their cars alone to more sustainable and efficient travelling methods such as walking, cycling, public transport and carsharing.

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What they asked us to do

The DTO were keen to develop a number of online services as part of the campaign. They saw the internet as providing them with a cost-effective channel to help their target audience manage their behavioural change. Xwerx was delighted to be given responsibility for the development of these services and has been involved with the campaign for the past 18 months.

The online services include a user-friendly Carsharing facility that has been adopted by a number of public bodies and blue-chip companies – www.carsharing.ie. The website allows employees of these organisations to register their details to find potential carsharing partners in their area. Enhanced features include an SMS messaging service and organisation-level administration facilities for reporting.

The One Small Step website has served as the focal point to the campaign since its launch in 2007. It has been recently upgraded to include a “Journey Logger” that allows members of the public or employees with registered organisations to record trips where they left their car at home in favour of a more sustainable transportation method. As with Carsharing, a key requirement for this was to develop a back-office tool that would allow both the DTO and their partners to monitor, administer and report on the progress of the service.

The One Small Step website has received a nomination in the State Body category in the eGovernment Awards for 2009.