England’s Hull Launches Smart Travel Rewards App To Transform Sustainable Tourism And Greener City Journeys

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September 8, 2026 11:45 AM

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Image: Visit Hull

Residents, students, and commuters in Hull, England can enjoy travel rewards when Hull City Council’s BetterPoints travel rewards app launches in September 2026. The app rewards users of Hull’s greener transport options and supports the Visitor Economy and Urban Mobility. Users are rewarded for walking and wheeling trips, bicycle trips and public transport trips, with points that can be converted to shopping vouchers, charitable donations and prize drawing entries. The goal of the travel rewards app is to help the city of Hull emit less carbon, use less roads, get healthier and help keep the city clean for visitors. The 38k app was funded by Active Travel England.

Hull is now one of the many places using apps to creatively change the way travel happens within a city. Rather than build more transport options. Hull is now using behavioral science to convince individuals and groups to changeHow the city of Hull uses the BetterPoints travel rewards app is novel in Destination management. It combines sustainable travel with tourism and local business support, and helps plan active travel. There are many yields when people Visit Hull because walking and visiting the city is more attractive to people. Hull is changing the way people think about travel sustainability and has positioned itself as a leader in sustainable travel for visitors.

BetterPoints App Turns Everyday Journeys Into Rewards For Hull Travellers And Communities

The BetterPoints app has been designed around a simple concept: sustainable journeys should create benefits for travellers and communities. Users can earn points every time they choose active or public transport options instead of private cars.

The eligible travel activities include:

Anyone who lives, works or studies in Hull can participate. People travelling into Hull for employment, education or other purposes can also use the app and collect rewards. The technology automatically detects journeys using smartphone GPS, accelerometer and movement sensors. Users do not need to manually start or stop tracking each trip. Once the system identifies eligible sustainable travel, points are added to a digital wallet. The automatic tracking feature is designed to remove barriers that often prevent people from joining travel behaviour programmes. By making participation simple, Hull aims to encourage more people to make greener choices regularly.

The points function as a digital currency. Users can exchange them for:

• High street shopping vouchers
• Independent local business rewards
• Online retailer gift cards
• Prize draw entries
• Charity donations

Around 1,000 points can typically convert into approximately £1 worth of rewards, allowing users to gradually build benefits through everyday sustainable movement.

Hull Links Sustainable Travel With Tourism Growth And Local Economic Benefits

The BetterPoints scheme is not only a transport project. It also supports Hull’s wider tourism and economic ambitions. Travel behaviour directly influences how visitors experience a destination. Cities that encourage walking, cycling and public transport often allow travellers to discover more local areas, independent businesses and cultural attractions.

Hull’s reward system creates a connection between sustainable movement and local spending. Users can redeem points with participating businesses, meaning environmentally friendly journeys can also support shops, cafes and community enterprises. The reward structure includes major brands and local businesses, providing flexibility for users while keeping economic benefits within the city. Available rewards include options linked with retailers such as Tesco, Costa and Amazon, alongside independent Hull businesses.

For tourism planners, this creates an opportunity to encourage visitors to explore beyond traditional transport routes. A traveller arriving in Hull could potentially discover waterfront areas, cultural attractions, restaurants and shopping districts through walking or public transport rather than relying on private vehicles. Sustainable mobility is becoming an important factor in destination competitiveness. Travellers are increasingly interested in places that offer environmentally responsible experiences, convenient transport connections and easy access to local communities. Hull’s digital approach supports this shift by making greener travel choices more visible, rewarding and connected with everyday city life.

Reward Based Travel Model Uses Behaviour Change Instead Of Transport Restrictions

A major feature of the Hull programme is its use of positive reinforcement. Instead of introducing penalties for driving or increasing travel costs, the scheme uses rewards to encourage voluntary behaviour change. The approach follows the principles of behavioural science, where small incentives can encourage people to develop new habits over time.

For example:

The council first tested the programme through an internal pilot involving staff members before opening it to the wider public. The public launch was timed alongside two national sustainable travel campaigns: Modeshift Month and Catch the Bus Month. This timing connects Hull’s local initiative with wider UK efforts to increase walking, cycling and public transport use.

The programme also avoids placing additional pressure on council budgets because the project funding comes through Active Travel England rather than core local taxation. Active Travel England supports projects that improve walking, wheeling and cycling opportunities while helping communities develop behaviour change programmes.

Hull Uses Smart Travel Data To Improve Future Transport Planning

Beyond rewards, the BetterPoints platform provides valuable insights into how people move around the city.

The app collects anonymised travel information that can help identify:

• Popular walking routes
• Cycling movement patterns
• Areas with limited sustainable transport connections
• Potential locations for future infrastructure improvements

This data-driven approach can support future decisions on cycling routes, pedestrian crossings and transport investments. For a tourism destination, understanding movement patterns is increasingly important. Cities need to know how visitors and residents travel between attractions, transport hubs, accommodation areas and commercial districts.

Better mobility data can help authorities create more accessible and connected destinations. It can also support applications for future transport funding by demonstrating where improvements are most needed. Hull’s approach reflects a wider transformation in urban tourism planning. Digital technology is becoming an essential tool for managing visitor movement while protecting environmental quality.

Green Mobility Initiative Supports Healthier Communities And Cleaner Urban Experiences

The BetterPoints programme also has a strong public health focus. Encouraging walking and cycling can increase daily physical activity while reducing dependence on short car journeys. Many urban trips involve distances that can be completed through active travel. These include journeys to workplaces, schools, shops and local attractions. By rewarding these activities, Hull aims to make sustainable travel a normal part of daily life.

The environmental benefits include:

The programme also allows users to donate their earned points to charitable organisations. Supported causes include WISHH Hull Hospitals Charity, The Health Tree Foundation, The Deep, Dogs Trust, RNLI and Marie Curie. This creates an additional social benefit by allowing sustainable travel decisions to support community organisations.

Hull Positions Sustainable Mobility As A Future Tourism Strategy

Hull’s BetterPoints app reflects a major change in how destinations approach transport and tourism development. Sustainable travel is no longer only about infrastructure. It is increasingly about encouraging people to change everyday behaviour.

The city’s initiative brings together several important priorities:

• Cleaner urban transport
• Stronger local economies
• Better visitor experiences
• Improved health outcomes
• Smarter city planning

Sustainable mobility offers sustainable travel options that could benefit tourism businesses. Walking and public transport-based tourists have been found to stay and explore more and engage with local tourism businesses. Hull offers a win-win situation to local authorities by offering a way to track and measure travel behavior while taking the first step towards positive environmental travel behavior. With more and more cities looking to introduce sustainable travel solutions, Hull’s travel model example shows how a solution using technology can help cities transform regular travel into a travel solution that serves sustainability.

Using the BetterPoints app, sustainable travel innovation in the UK has provided a simple approach and digital solution to of offering a reward system that positively influences travel behavior and supports businesses, including new business models of engaging sustainable travel to a cleaner destination.