Annual Survey Shows Increase in Sustainable Commuting Among UK Workers
Thursday, July 18, 2024 – As the world continues to prioritize sustainable living, the annual survey of UK commuters has revealed promising results. More people than ever are choosing sustainable and affordable modes of transportation to get to work.
The survey, known as Commuter Census®, is now in its fourth year and has received 10,325 responses. This year, it has recorded a smaller share of workers who commute via single occupancy vehicles (SOVs). Only 38% of respondents reported travelling to work in a petrol or diesel SOV, and less than half (45%) reported commuting by any form of SOV, including hybrid and electric vehicles. In fact, 17% of those who were commuting to work by petrol or diesel car just two years ago have now switched to more sustainable methods.
These results are a promising sign for Mobilityways, the organization that compiles Commuter Census. The mission of this climate tech organization and social enterprise is to make zero-carbon commuting a reality. Mobilityways offers products and consultancy services that enable employers to measure, reduce, and report their commuter emissions.
One reason for this shift in driving alone seems to be cost. Founder of Mobilityways, Ali Clabburn, spoke to BBC Radio 4 about the survey results, saying, “We’ve seen the biggest increase in car sharing in the last year that we’ve ever seen. It’s up 22%, which is huge.”
Clabburn continued, “Sentiment from the survey is that people are thinking about costs more now. They used to think about trying to travel the quickest way and now they are definitely trying to find the cheapest way, because the cost of driving a car is prohibitive. It’s rocketed and is now, on average, over £5,000 per person each year. So, many people are giving up a car and now looking at alternatives such as buses and car sharing.”
Mobilityways also operates Liftshare.com, a national community of over 700,000 members who save an average of £1,034 a year on commuting by sharing lifts.
The Commuter Census 2024 report revealed that 15% of employees now carpool to work, returning to pre-pandemic levels. Additionally, six in ten people said they would consider carpooling or carpooling in an electric vehicle as an alternative to their current commute.
After carpooling, the bus was the second most popular alternative, with 43% of respondents saying they would consider commuting by bus or electric bus. There has been a 17% increase in usage since last year, with one in ten respondents now using a bus to get to work. This upturn in usage could be attributed to the £2 bus fare cap that has been in effect across many parts of the country this year.
Commuter Census 2024 also revealed a desire from commuters to receive more help from their employers in their bid to help decarbonize the commute. More than half of respondents said they would like more help to commute sustainably, highlighting the need for large organizations to make sustainable commuting as easy as possible – for the benefit of the planet, their employees’ wallets, and their net-zero goals and Scope 3 emissions reporting.
Julie Furnell, Managing Director of Mobilityways, said, “In the past year, we have seen Government initiatives that have illustrated the impact of policy on commuter choices. The results highlight areas where further intervention is necessary to encourage sustainable options. That is what our suite of solutions aims to do, through data-led decisions and targeted engagement.”
Another insight from Commuter Census 2024 was the changed attitude towards hybrid working – from employers and employees alike. Remarkably, just 26% of respondents said they would consider working from home as an alternative to their current mode of commuting – a significant 42% decrease compared to last year.
Meanwhile, the return to the office continues at a rapid pace, with 41% of employees now required to be on-site every day, even though only 15% of respondents would prefer not to work from home.
To read the full Commuter Census report, including commuting mode changes, work travel patterns, attitudes towards commuting methods, and commuting emissions calculations, please visit https://pressat.co.uk/.
Derick is an experienced reporter having held multiple senior roles for large publishers across Europe. Specialist subjects include small business and financial emerging markets.