Opinion: Integration is key to sustainable business travel | Day 1

By Andy Bland, head of business rental development UK and Ireland for Enterprise Mobility

Customers are often surprised when a conversation about designing a successful sustainable mobility strategy begins with journey planning rather than vehicle and fuel types.

That conversation is very often affected by how much data a business holds on employee travel habits.

If that data is dispersed across a range of booking platforms, HR systems and travel expense reclaim slips, it may be difficult to piece together a clear picture of who travels when, from where and how far without first collecting, aggregating–and analysing the information.

As more and more businesses start to look at ways to reduce carbon, there are many effective solutions, and the starting point is assessing the individual journeys made by employees.

This enables a discussion around the right mode of transport for the right journey, at that moment in time, whilst reducing overall emissions.

How can you reduce the number of miles travelled? How can you reduce emissions per mile by switching to smaller, more sustainable vehicles as well as zero-emission options? How do you encourage car sharing and a behavioural mindset shift in your employees?

Utilise technology

Introducing technology that enables self-service journey assessment by the employee – even grey fleet journeys in a private vehicle – is the starting point.

Integrating that technology into different travel options so the employee can see the cost and the emissions – and even whether the journey can be shared with another employee heading out the same way – will all result in more sustainable travel.

Embrace shared mobility

One option could be to use the train for the bulk of a trip and then a rental car at the end, be that daily rental or car club, to give the employee flexibility when they reach their destination.

Another might be to enrol employees to an on-street car club network that has vehicles near their home for even greater convenience. Shared vehicle access on their doorstep will also mean employees can make private trips out of hours without having to own or use their personal vehicle.

This can lead to potential cost and emission savings, including lower maintenance, as shared vehicles are often newer. What’s more, it encourages employees to consider mobility as a shared rather than singular community asset, encouraging a more sustainable mindset.

On-site workplace car clubs promote more sustainable mobility habits generally, which means fewer miles driven even without necessarily changing the vehicle or fuel type.

Employees who need to do a short business trip during the day have the option to commute by public transport or active travel, and the mounting evidence is that many are doing just that. Shared transport charity CoMoUK's 2023 research shows that 35% of car club members cycle at least once per week, compared to 14% of non-members.

Some of our best examples of reducing business travel emissions is when modes are integrated and complementary to one another, creating connected the solutions.

Transport providers are positioning their networks to be part of a wider transport ecosystem that includes cars, trains, planes, walking, cycling and every other transport mode.

Customers that enable employees to use these networks are experiencing great and measurable results in driving better sustainability. Employees feel like they have choice, because one size doesn’t fit all.

Employee satisfaction is key

Employees are more enthusiastic about sustainable transport when they have a great travel experience.

Providing an electric vehicle to someone who is not close to a charging network and has only driven a petrol or diesel vehicle could lead to a poor driver experience.

An employee that is obliged to travel by train when they have lots of luggage may not see it as sustainable from the human perspective.

Even if a solution is perfect for a trip, it has to be right for the person, and many people are still building their confidence with some of the most recent transport innovations.

Journey assessment is key to moving towards managed business travel, because there is clear understanding of what the problem is. Is it grey fleet? Is it the use of larger vehicles when a smaller one will do?

At the heart of journey assessment is the employee. Their needs, attitudes and behaviours drive the strategy, but also inform strategies for promoting more sustainable behaviour.

Examine the need, listen to the person, and design your travel policy to be flexible around your employee and business goals, rather than perceived preferred transport types or rigid decision-making criteria.