Launch a Sustainable Commuting Legacy

Integrate Business Engagement into your Plans

Many organisations don’t have the budget to adequately tackle their Scope 3 emissions but, as a local authority, you have new ring-fenced travel funds – such as the Bus Service Improvement Plan (BSIP) or the Local Transport fund – that can be used to drive emissions reductions in both the public and private sector. This new BSIP funding, based on population and deprivation, will be allocated to local and combined authorities across the country specifically to improve bus services.

For the financial year 2025/26, there will be three BSIP funding streams, one of which is revenue funding that can be used for network support and development of future proposals. To assist with this, Mobilityways CommuteIQ solution can be used to identify gaps in provision of bus services by mapping postcode clusters where there is currently limited service. Download your free guide for more information about how we can help.

Using BSIP funds, Mobilityways is already working with a major combined authority to partner with large employers, including NHS Trusts and universities, to analyse commuting data from 45,000 employees across 20 sites. This has enabled the authority to:

· Identify untapped markets for bus services.

· Address key gaps where employees rely on single-occupancy vehicles.

· Measure the impact of interventions on climate, wellbeing, and air quality.

From our experience in commuter emissions reduction, business-driven sustainable-transport campaigns have proven to be more effective than pubic projects. Businesses are more likely to influence behaviour change with targeted messaging and initiatives that they know can benefit their staff. They are also able to better incentivise their workforce with rewards for sustainable commuting – for instance with vouchers for a free lunch or coffee – that a local authority couldn’t possibly offer by itself.

For instance, Mobilityways has worked with a major UK employer to introduce a private bus service that had a weekly uptake of 56% of all employees who could use the service.

At the same company, car-sharing is expected to save 1,274 tonnes of CO2 in the next year. This is made possible by messaging and initiatives designed to solve the specific challenges employees at the organisation face.

How exactly can local authorities fund employers to drive down commuter emissions?

1: Mobilityways offers a suite of 13 climate-tech tools to help large employers measure, reduce and report emissions.

2: Our CommuteIQ tool, for instance, will use aggregated data to anonymously plot the postcode of every employee travelling to a single site, with suggested alternatives for how each person can sustainably and viably get to work. This includes car-sharing and public transport options. Working with large organisations using CommuteIQ you could, for example, get an accurate picture of how many people can feasibly take the bus to work, and identify where more provision is required.

3: Mobilityways travel surveys can then track the success of new schemes and networks, providing you with crucial evidencing to show that funding has delivered on its objectives. You will be supported in this by our team of commuting consultants, who will compile reports to prove success.

An example of a CommuteIQ map

How the process works

Regardless of whether you have already allocated your transport funds or not, you can still use your influence as a local authority to start a sustainable commuting legacy in your area.

If you have already allocated your funds for the year, you can still encourage anchor institutions in your region to fulfil their Scope 3 obligations by demonstrating the power of our emissions reduction solution to them – something we could of course assist you with!

Using the commuting data we can provide, you would be able to influence local organisations to make sustainable change.

However, if you do have funds – even ring-fenced funds such as the Bus Service Improvement Plan – you can invest this money in large anchor institutions in your area, such as the NHS or universities.

The commuting data this will provide will then enable you to allocate finds to the public transport services that will be most used or have the most impact.