Four ways to encourage your employees to use public transport

Whether we like to admit it or not, we live in a car-centred culture. Many commuters are choosing to drive, often without passengers, while cost-effective and more environmentally-friendly options are available such as buses and trains. With the topic of the environment so often in the news, now more than ever is the time to change the way we travel to work.

Businesses up and down the country are taking their environmental responsibility more seriously by encouraging changes within the office by using less paper and recycling more waste for example. But what is being done to help the environment outside the office walls?

We’ve put together a list of ways in which business can entice their employees to change the way they travel, by using the most effective method of transport.

Flexible start times

Technological advances have changed how, when and where we work, meaning that the 9-5 day can be tailored to meet the needs of the individual. If you’re thinking of offering incentives to your workforce to up their use of public transport, it’s a good idea to put in place flexible working hours too. That way if any unforeseen circumstances arise, delays and cancellations to their scheduled route, for example, working time doesn’t have to be lost.

Incentives

Offering your employees an incentive to make use of trains and buses, such as yearly travel cards, is an effective way of encouraging people to drive less and use public transport more. The benefits to the employee are widely felt, including less money being used on car maintenance and fuel, all while reducing the demand for parking and strain on the environment.

Carsharing

Aside from taking the bus or train, carsharing should be encouraged as alternative methods to driving, for those employees who choose to do so.

For those businesses that are placed on the edge of towns or cities, where few trains and buses can get to, fostering an incentive to carpool can be very effective. It’s common, in larger businesses especially, for willing carshare employees to live in the same area without realising, therefore launching a company-wide campaign to pair people up will increase the potential for the scheme. A number of office parking spaces could be repurposed for carsharing vehicles only.

Create a positive public transport office culture

There are a number of ways to encourage employees to use public transport methods where they live, without changing too much within the office. Educating employees through materials and seminars, for example, can help to encourage people who are too sure that using public transport for work is right for them.

Setting office-wide sustainability goals, the department with the highest number of public transport users, or the department with the largest number of people walking to work, for example, are great ways to encourage more and more people to ditch the driving to save the environment.

Employing any of the above methods could have an impact on the local pollution and traffic levels, as well as the work/life balance of employees.