For business

Health living and active travel at workplaces

There are plenty of reasons why as an employer you should promote healthy living to your staff and colleagues. It makes total business sense to keep your staff in tip-top condition. If they’re happy, healthy and energised they perform better, stay later and grow with your company! Promoting active travel is one of the best ways to contribute towards healthy living for your staff. It’s no myth that staff who are in a relaxed state of mind prior to making it into work perform much better than those who are stressed from the morning commute.

Here’s a few more reasons to promote healthy living including active travel to your staff:

  • Public transport provides convenient access to job opportunities, reducing the burden of having to purchase, run and maintain a car
  • It is frequent, convenient and easy to use
  • A bus or train journey is more sociable than driving alone
  • Time spent on trains and buses can be spent reading, working or even planning your leisure time
  • It relieves congestion, and on many routes including Park & Ride schemes, buses can bypass queuing traffic by using specialised bus lanes

Smarter Travel Toolkit

The Smarter Travel Toolkit provides help and contact details for organisations who wish to continue promoting active and greener modes of travel for their staff for commuting and business related journeys.

Travel Plans

What is a Travel Plan?

“A long-term management strategy for an organisation or site that seeks to deliver sustainable transport objectives through action and is articulated in a document that is regularly reviewed.”

What are the benefits of a Travel Plan?

A robust Travel Plan can have a wide range of benefits for a number of groups such as:

Individuals

  • Improved health
  • Monetary savings
  • Time savings

Employers

  • Aid staff recruitment and retention
  • Corporate and Social Responsibility recognition
  • Reduced absenteeism
  • Scope for growth and expansion

Community

  • Reduced congestion
  • Improved quality of life

Environment

  • Reduction in CO2 emissions and climate impacts

Travel Plan content

Travel Plans should include an overall aim, accompanying objectives and site specific measures designed to primarily reduce single occupancy car use and promote more sustainable modes such as public transport, walking and cycling. This information is best summarised within an Action Plan. The Action Plan should detail responsibilities, timescales and funding associated with each action.

Travel Plan monitoring

A Travel Plan is a ‘live’ document and should be regularly reviewed and updated. The appointment of a Travel Plan Coordinator helps ensure that the Travel Plan remains active.