Postcodes analysis shows potential of sustainable commuting

Thu 29 July 2021 View all news

Analysis of over half a million employee postcodes shows the latent potential of sustainable commuting
532,214 individual employee post codes have been analysed as part of Mobilityways Scoping Smart Mobility tool, evaluating the sustainable commuting potential of 350 employers across the UK. It revealed the huge emissions reduction potential if the UK workforce switched to more sustainable modes.

The Mobilityways Platform was developed in lockdown by car-sharing pioneers, the Liftshare Group, to support employers meet their net zero goals. It’s a suite of software tools that enables employers to evidence, track, plan and change their commuter emissions. The Platform is the only software solution dedicated to decarbonising the commute, providing full visibility of commuting challenges and features in the Department for Transport's Decarbonisation Plan.

Scoping Smart Mobility uses anonymised employee postcodes to give detailed insight on what real world sustainable commute options are available for each employee. The Platform generates a detailed Scoping report and interactive map which displays the potential active-travel, public transport and car-sharing opportunities for each individual. This helps organisations understand their ACELO (Average Commuter Emission Level Opportunity); a metric to understand the potential of their commuter emissions reductions.

The data was generated from employers ranging in industry and size, from 200 to 54,000 employees across public and private sector organisations. It found 91% of employees live within one mile of a colleague, making car-sharing a viable option for a large majority of the sample. Over 40% lived close enough to work to walk or cycle and more than half (53%) had an accessible public transport route available to them. "When it comes to emissions, the questions are how low can we go and how fast can we get there.” says CEO of the Liftshare Group, Ali Clabburn. “The commute is the least efficient journey we ever make – understanding how and where we can make emissions savings will make a huge difference to the 18 billion kg of CO2e generated from the commute every year.”

One employer using Mobilityways to gain a better understanding of their commuter emissions challenges was the Cheshire Constabulary who used Scoping Smart Mobility to analyse the real-world commute options for all 1754 employees working at their Winsford HQ.

“We discovered only 9% of employees could utilise public transport, and only 6% live within walking distance. Scoping gave us a toolbox which we can utilise to really maximise our travel policy and transport choices for our colleagues travelling to work.” Said Michael Johnson, Environment and Sustainability Lead, Cheshire Constabulary.

Data derived from Scoping can be used to great effect by Transport and Sustainability professionals, supporting them to build business cases for improved onsite provisions, launch travel initiatives and outreach with local operators. Cheshire Constabulary have since engaged with their local bus operator Arriva after their Scoping report indicated that minor adaptations to Arriva’s routes would allow substantial increases in Police Staff patronage.

“Employers are going to be critical in achieving our net zero goals - and these half a million Scoping reports show just how much opportunity there is for change. From supporting active travel to encouraging colleagues to share a lift, there are quick wins which could dramatically reduce an organisation’s ACEL. With transport as one of the biggest emissions offenders, employers have a responsibility to support a shift to more sustainable travel modes.”

 


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