Sustainable travel for businesses and employees

The Sustainable Travel Team will work with you to create a bespoke employee travel plan with the opportunity to gain Modeshift Stars accreditation. This service is free of charge and has many benefits including the following:

• Save your employees time and money spent travelling to work
• Reduce business transport overheads
• Alleviate parking issues on your site
• Improve your environmental credentials, enabling the business to acquire ISO1401 environmental accreditation – essential for trading with some large UK organisations
• Improve employee health through the promotion of walking and cycling initiatives
• Encourage social interaction between employees
• Improve recruitment and retention of staff

We will plan or support events at your business to deliver behaviour change that will see an increase in employees travelling to work using more sustainable modes of travel such as by public transport, cycling and walking.

Corporate Advice and Support

Smarter working practices (also known as flexible or home working)

People are more motivated and productive if they can work in a way that suits them best. Solihull Council have developed a Smarter Working booklet that looks at the benefits and changes a business would need to make to become a Smart Working culture, one where employees are primarily focused on results not time in an office. The booklet includes some local case studies and can be downloaded here.

Corporate travel schemes

This is a ticket loan scheme which lets you buy discounted travel tickets for employees, who then pay for the ticket over a 12-month period via deductions from their monthly salary. Joining the scheme is free, and every permanent employee on your payroll will be entitled to low-cost travel through the scheme saving them money every month.

Car sharing schemes

Car sharing is when two or more people travel together by car for all or part of a trip. The passengers usually make a contribution towards the driver’s fuel costs. Car sharing may be formal, using an organised car share scheme, or informal - for example, friends or colleagues travelling to work together.

Tax Free Cycle purchase scheme’s

The Government is encouraging employers to promote cycling through its Cycle to Work scheme. Employees can obtain a bike and equipment through a loan which will be deducted, tax free, via a salary sacrifice scheme over an agreed period. For further details search ‘cycle to work’ at www.gov.uk.

Support Campaigns

Solihull Councils Sustainable Travel Team have produced a new marketing campaign aimed at encouraging employees who have made the switch to a commute by foot or by bicycle to continue.

The campaign is made up of suite of simple images created to break down traditional barriers to an active commute such as the ‘School Run’. The listed below 'Tool Kit' can be downloaded and used to raise the profile of the campaign on notice boards, newsletters or on your intranet.

Campaign print off’s

Posters

• Are you ready to Cycle? (landscape)
• Are you ready to Walk? (landscape)
• Office worker walking
• Worker walking
• Female office worker cycle
• Commuter with child cycle
• Cycling mother commuter
• Are you ready to Cycle? (portrait)
• Are you ready to Walk? (portrait)

Logos and templates

• Editable poster
• Walk,cycle logo green
• Walk,cycle logo white
• Walk,cycle logo sky

Headers

• Email news cycle header
• Email news walk header
• Solihull newsletter header

Intranet

• A6 - Office worker walking
• A6 - Commuter with child cycle poster
• A6 - Cycling mother commuter
• A6 - Female office worker cycle poster
• A6 - Worker walking

Employee Advice and Support

Our support officers will be available for personal travel planning sessions at a bespoke travel event or as part of a larger organisational event at your workplace. Support we can offer your employees:

• Benefits of active commuting
• Cycle confidence training – email us to see the range of free courses we offer
• Cycle maintenance
• Cycle to work scheme
• Route planning
• Public transport taster tickets
• Best value ticket advice

For more information please get in touch with us at Sustainabletravelteam@solihull.gov.uk.

Walking

Walking to work is not only an environmentally friendly alternative to motorised forms of transport, but it is also a great way to feel energised before starting the working day.

Walking is one of the simplest ways to be more active, lose weight and become healthier, other benefits also come with walking to work:

• Guaranteed arrival time
• No parking problems
• Reduced congestion and pollution
• No cost
• Improved mental wellbeing
• Increased cardiovascular fitness
• Reduced body fat

The Active 10 app, available on Android and Apple, is a great way to help you monitor and gradually increase your walking levels over time. For more information on walking visit: www.nhs.uk/oneyou/active10

Cycling

Cycling to and from work is an easy way to build exercise into your daily routine and can take a third of the time it takes to walk. It is proven to:

If you are thinking about cycling to your workplace you could join your employee cycle2work scheme and save up to 42% on a brand new bike and equipment.

If you are interested in some cycling training from beginner to confidence training to safely negotiate busy road junctions please contact us to find out about the courses we offer. We can also advise on ebikes!

Please contact the Sustainable Travel Team with and questions and to book your FREE session.

• Improve cardio-vascular fitness
• Lower blood pressure
• Reduce stress
• Boost your energy levels
• Improve co-ordination
• Improved mental wellbeing

For more information about cycling visit:

• cyclinguk.org
• cyclinguk.org/routes
• cyclinguk.org/journey-planner