What is the pilot study?
The Mobility Mapper pilot study runs from June 2026 to April 2027, funded by Active Travel England. It's the research side of the app: while wheelers across the UK build the map, the study measures what difference that makes — to how people get around, and to how it feels.
Anyone in England who uses a wheeled mobility device can take part, wherever you are — a big city, a market town, or somewhere rural. It involves two short questionnaires — one when you join, one at the end of March 2027 — and simply using the app as much or as little as you like in between. Your answers are anonymous, and you can withdraw at any time from Settings.
For people who travel on wheeled mobility devices, getting around can be a daily challenge of unmapped obstacles, missing kerb ramps, and routes that look fine until you're on them. The study exists to prove what putting local knowledge on the map can change — and to win the funding that keeps Mobility Mapper free and growing.
The team behind the pilot study
Mobility Mapper was founded by a wheeler — someone who uses an electric tricycle and knows first-hand what it means to navigate streets that weren't designed with you in mind.
The pilot study is led by Mobility Mapper in partnership with Active Travel England, the Walk Wheel Cycle Trust, and UWE Bristol — bringing together the policy expertise, community connections, and academic rigour needed to make the wheelable network real.
Join our research study
As well as recording journeys, we'd love you to take part in our research study. It involves answering a short set of questions about you and your experience of wheeling in your local area — once when you join the pilot, and again at the end of March 2027, so we can see whether anything has changed after using the app.
Your answers will help us improve Mobility Mapper, evaluate its impact, and support future funding so the service can continue to grow.
Taking part is easy
There's nothing extra to learn — taking part in the pilot study is just using the app. Download Mobility Mapper, record your journeys, and add what you find along the way; the App Guide walks you through every screen. The app invites you to join the study when you create your account, and you can join later from Settings.