Encouraging the commercial sector to help employees to change their travel behaviour

Abstract

Travel Plans have been a key element in the UK Government's strategy for reducing car use. However, although they have been adopted by the Government's own departments and other parts of the state sector, any policy mechanisms to encourage the “widespread voluntary take-up” of Travel Plans in the private sector have so far been relatively low key. This paper examines how commercial sector organisations are currently encouraged to help change their employees’ travel behaviour in the UK. It then draws on experience from across the world to identify four mechanisms through which Government and local authorities might make travel plans more widespread than currently, namely information and exhortation, regulation, subsidy and fiscal reform.