integrating car share with other sustainable transport initiatives
Ideas for employers and travel planners
Employers are a major generator of travel, especially during peak times. They
have the ability to influence the travel behaviour of their employees via
workplace travel plans. Car sharing can form an important part of any such
travel plan, alongside other sustainable measures. This briefing is designed to
encourage best practice when approaching car sharing as one of a range of
sustainable transport methods.
Car share
schemes match people making similar journeys to allow them to travel together
for regular commuter trips or longer one off journeys. Car sharing blurs the
boundaries between public and private transport, and alongside buses, trains,
walking and cycling it provides a viable and inexpensive alternative to single
occupancy. It is important to consider the links between car sharing and public
transport and the ways in which they can complement each other.
The average car commuter drives 19 miles a day. Cutting
that by half through car sharing would save 648kg of carbon dioxide over one
year, the same as that absorbed by 216 trees.
Environment Agency
Car sharing together with other
sustainable transport modes
Car sharing can be an important addition to the transport modes already
available. When considering launching a scheme it can be a challenge for
employers and travel planners to ensure they obtain the right balance between
the promotion of car sharing and other sustainable transport modes.
Car sharing
is often seen as a 'quick win' solution that will be easy for many employees to
adopt. However, it is important to be ambitious in also encouraging a range of
non-car modes in addition to car sharing. It makes sense to offer a package of
solutions, rather than one single solution that may not be beneficial to
everyone.
There has been some debate about whether encouraging people to car
share might take them away from using public transport. Research by Liftshare.com
shows 67% of car share journeys were previously made by car, 7% were previously
unable to make the journey, and the remaining 25% were previously using non car
modes. For some of the latter group it is a temporary change to cope with train
strikes or changes in personal circumstances.
In environmental terms, this reverse modal shift can have a detrimental effect as the amount of carbon
and other dangerous emissions produced by a private car are proportionately more
than that produced by a bus or train (when these two are reasonably full), even
when the car contains more than one person. Reduced public transport patronage
will also make train or bus services less financially viable to run and may put
the route at risk of closure. However car share places an important role in
providing access to amenities and employment where there are not other options
and four people car sharing can be more efficient than a bus containing fewer
than twelve people.
An amalgamation of car sharing with public transport results
in van pooling. This is particularly common for those working in
areas with inadequate public transport and low car ownership. The
employer organises a vehicle and picks up employees at designated points along a
route to work. Van poolers could pay a nominal cost towards running the vehicle.
Filling a van to capacity can result in carbon as well as financial efficiencies
and could also improve employee punctuality.
Striking the right balance
Car sharing and other modes should be presented as complementary to one another.
The following approaches can be considered to ensure this is the case:
Joined up promotion
Car sharing should be presented
as one of a range of sustainable options, rather than a stand-alone solution. An
employer could consider distributing a newsletter to staff mentioning all
transport modes in tandem e.g. referring to new facilities for cyclists or a new
bus route, together with information on the progress of the car share scheme.
Integrating travel choices
Encourage staff to integrate car
sharing with public transport e.g. those who drive to/from the railway station
or a park-and-ride bus stop could car share for this part of the journey. It is
important to stress that car sharing can form just one element of a journey.
Travel incentives
Some employers have issued
reduced/free public transport tickets to staff to enable them to travel into
town at lunchtime. Pool bikes or car club cars could be offered for work trips
or for the same purpose.
Financial rewards
Financial incentives (such as
vouchers, cash rewards, prize draws, extra holiday or local business discounts) given to new
car sharers should also be given to those staff already using public transport,
walking, cycling or indeed already car sharing. These staff are already saving
the employer money by not requiring a parking space of their own.
Monitoring
Changes in how people travel should be monitored via
follow-up questionnaires asking how car sharers previously made the journey
and if they previously used public transport ask their reasons for changing.
This can also help monitor the success of your travel plan by ascertaining the
numbers participating. It also helps you adapt your message and methods in
future.
Staff at Canterbury
City
Council who use green modes (including car sharing) to travel to work are
granted an extra day’s annual leave per year.
Transport for London
‘Car Share Guide’
Further
Information
Transport for London
‘Car Share Guide’ available to download here
