Mobility | Mobilityways’ national commuting intentions survey reveals potential green dividend for UK companies as CO2 emissions from commuting set to drop 26% from pre-pandemic levels

Mobilityways Commuter Census survey reveals 26.2% of employees plan to continue working from home post-pandemic, compared to 4.4% pre-COVID

UK companies can look forward to a green dividend, as more than a quarter (26%) of employees look set to continue working from home post-pandemic, provided companies allow employees who express a desire to continue working from home to do so.

This green dividend equates to a massive reduction in CO2e emissions, the equivalent of 4.5 million commuters switching from diesel to electric vehicles, or 1.7 million households switching to zero-emission heating by the end of the year.

The findings come from a commuter census survey that zero-carbon commuting specialist Mobilityways distributed to some 350,000 users of its free mobile app earlier this month.

ACEL benchmarks commuting emissions for the first time
Mobilityways offers a service that collects employees’ real-time ‘travel to work’ data through its mobile app to calculate an employee’s Average Commuting Emissions Level (ACEL). It can then help employers motivate employees to explore greener commuting options, such as car-sharing, walking, cycling or using public transportation. As employees make new choices, Mobilityways is able to report ACEL improvements to the Sustainability Leader to support their scope 3 audits.

Mobilityways uses existing government averages of emissions for different modes of transport published by Defra and multiplies them by the number of employees using each mode and the latest average commute distance data from the DfT to create its ACEL score, which can then be calculated as an industry ACEL average as the benchmark. Mobilityways then works with principals to develop a plan to reduce commuter emissions to ensure the announced corporate net zero target is met.

Public transport use to drop by more than a third
The Mobilityways census also reveals the impact on public transport agencies, as demand for public transport will drop by 36.5 per cent. Before the pandemic, 17% of employees used public transportation for the longest commute to and from get off work, but after the pandemic, only 10.8% said they would return to public transportation for the longest period of their commute.

Strong demand for sustainable commuting
Even more encouraging for companies trying to convince employees to choose greener commutes is that more than a third (35.2%) are ready to explore commuting “in a more sustainable way” and 28.6% claim to have become sustainable commuter.

To reinforce interest in sustainable commuting, 37% are considering switching to an electric vehicle, with 30.3% willing to walk or run to work and 41.6% to cycle to work. 71.1% of people would share a car during their commute, either as a driver or as a passenger.

Strong Willingness to Adopt Electric Vehicles
There was also good news for automakers bringing new electric vehicle (EV) models to market this year, with local authorities approving more EV charging stations as 37.4% of consumers are already considering switching to EVs, 5.2 % of consumers claim to have been found by Mobilityways research.

Bike and Walk Investments Haven’t Delivered
Less encouraging is that only 6.6% plan to walk or bike to get off work after the pandemic, down from 10.7% before the pandemic. A quarter (25%) do not feel they have any sustainable options for their journey to work, again pointing to the need for broader change.that’s despite £250 million investment The government’s contribution to cycling and walking infrastructure last year.

Ali Clabburn, founder of Mobilityways, says businesses need to prepare now for the future of commuting and make it easier for employees to embrace more sustainable options:

“While a growing number of workers expect to work from home for at least some parts of the week, the majority will still commute at least one or two days a week. The encouraging news is that post-lockdown commuters want to be more sustainable, provided It’s that they’re doing it without sacrificing time or convenience. This is where forward-thinking businesses can step in – to help while reducing their own carbon footprint.”

Scope 3 Reporting Progress
Scope 3 emissions reporting requires the collection of the overall greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions impact of a company’s activities outside of the workplace, including employees commuting to and from get off work. Scope 3 standards are the only internationally recognized method for companies to account for emissions from this type of value chain.

Reducing greenhouse gas emissions and improving sustainability is becoming a key business imperative as the UK aims to meet its challenging net-zero carbon emissions target by 2050. As part of this target, the UK government has just announced that it is bringing forward its target to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 78% (from 1990 levels) by 2035.

“The pandemic is forcing everyone to rethink the way they live and work, which will dramatically change commuting. Coupled with tightening emissions regulations, the end of lockdown presents a clear opportunity to make commuting greener, More sustainable – which benefits the environment, people and businesses,” added Clabburn.

-Finish-

Notes to editors:
Mobilityways can provide access to one of its customers to talk about what they are doing this week to motivate their employees to commute more sustainably.

The head of sustainability at Heidi Barnard, a large NHS group based in Greater Manchester, will be interviewed today 30 April from 1.30pm to 3.30pm and interviews are available on request thereafter. Please contact Miles Clayton to arrange a time that works for you.

Of the 4,366 people who answered all 12 questions on the Mobilityways Commuter Census Survey,
13% are between the ages of 18 and 23
38% are between 24 and 34 years old
22% are between the ages of 25 and 44
18% are between 45 and 54 years old
7% are between the ages of 55 and 64
2% were aged 65 or over.

48% were men and 52% were women. None are non-binary.

For more information on the results of the Mobilityways Commuter Survey or to book an interview with Mobilityways customer Heidi Barnard (see above), please contact Miles Clayton on 01992 587439 / 07799 063398 or email miles@agilitypr.co.U.K.

For more information on Mobilityways, please contact:
Erin Heenan, Communications Manager, Mobilityways. E-mail: erin@liftshare.com

For media inquiries about Mobilityways, please contact:
Miles Clayton, Agility PR, miles@agilitypr.co.uk or 01992 587439/ 07799 063398