The Commuter Census® 2024 shows that 41% of employees have returned to working outside of their homes.

Commuter Census 2024 Reveals Increasing Need for Sustainable Commuting as Employees Return to the Office

In its fourth year, Commuter Census® has recorded a new high in employees not working from home, with hybrid working being the preferred option for most employees after 2020. The survey, which received 10,325 responses, shows that four in ten people are no longer working from home at all, with only 15% of employees preferring this working arrangement. The majority of respondents (63%) expressed a desire for a hybrid model of home and on-site working, with the option to work from home between one and four times per week.

The results of the survey highlight the increasing need for sustainable commuting as more people return to the office. Mobilityways, the organisation behind Commuter Census, has determined through their Commuter Emissions Calculation that the average worker emits 849 kg of CO2e through commuting every year. This figure has seen little reduction from two years ago, despite a 17% decrease in commuters travelling to work alone in a petrol or diesel car and an increase in more sustainable commuting methods. However, the frequency of work travel has increased compared to 2022, resulting in higher emissions.

Mobilityways, a climate tech organisation and social enterprise, is on a mission to make zero-carbon commuting a reality. Their products and consultancy services enable employers to measure, reduce, and report their commuter emissions.

The 2024 Commuter Census has revealed a desire from commuters to receive more help from their employers in their efforts to decarbonise their commute. More than half of the respondents (50%) expressed a desire for more support to commute sustainably. This puts the responsibility on large organisations to make sustainable commuting as easy as possible, not only for the benefit of the planet but also for their employees’ pockets and their net-zero goals. Scope 3 emissions reporting may soon become a legal requirement under the Labour Government’s new net-zero plans.

Managing Director of Mobilityways, Julie Furnell, stated, “The onus is now on the employer to make it feasible for employees to reduce their commuter emissions. If they do, the opportunity for Scope 3 emissions reduction is clearly huge, especially in large organisations.”

She continued, “Of the remaining 50% of respondents who said they didn’t want more help to commute more sustainably, it’s possible that many could already be doing so. Therefore, the assumption can be made that more than half of workers across the UK are either travelling to work sustainably already or would consider it with further assistance.”

Furnell went on to say, “We’ve seen a significant 42% decrease in those who would consider working from home as an alternative to their current mode of commuting compared to last year. Just 26% of respondents said they would consider it this year. This means that employers must provide new ways to get their workforce to site sustainably and reduce their Scope 3 emissions, which we expect will be a legal requirement to report soon.”

Commuter Census 2024 also found that only 38% of respondents now travel to work in a petrol or diesel single-occupancy vehicle (SOV), with less than half (45%) commuting by any form of SOV, including hybrid and electric vehicles. This is the first time ever that the number of commuters who drive alone with a petrol or diesel car has fallen below 40%, with a 17% decrease in petrol or diesel car use since 2022.

The survey also revealed that 15% of employees now carpool to work, a return to pre-pandemic levels. Additionally, six in ten people expressed a willingness to carpool or carpool in an electric vehicle as an alternative to their current commute.

Read the full Commuter Census report here, including commuting mode changes, work travel patterns, attitudes towards commuting methods, and commuting emissions calculations.