Imperial finds workplace mobility hubs encourage sustainable travel

Initial findings from an Imperial College London study, in partnership with Enterprise and Brompton Bike Hire, indicate that access to a mobility hub at work can encourage employees to use active and shared travel options for their commuting and business travel.

Employees offered free access to a car club or bicycle as an alternative to their own vehicle increased the total number of journeys made by bicycle (52% of total journeys) and other active travel (65% of trips) over an eight-week period.

Nearly two thirds of those in the trial said they planned to cycle more and a quarter said they would be less likely to commute using their own car after the positive experience of using the mobility hub.

Just under four in ten agreed that knowing they could pick up a zero-emission car-club vehicle at work made joining the mobility hub and commuting by bike an easy choice. A similar number said they would be willing to pay to use the mobility hub in the future.

The hub at Imperial’s South Kensington campus offered two Enterprise Car Club vehicles, one electric and one hydrogen powered, plus 25 Brompton folding bikes, five of which were electric.

It was operated over a four-month period and allowed Imperial to assess the impact on staff travel patterns by giving people more choices for sustainable and active transport.

The hub also enabled Imperial researchers to examine how commuting patterns and day-to-day travel can be changed from relying on ownership to using shared transport. 

Participating employees received free membership and use of Enterprise Car Club and Brompton Bikes for the duration of the pilot. Both cars and bikes were booked through the Enterprise Car Club app.

Jonny Jackson, an Imperial College London research student who worked on the project said, “This is the first field trial that explores the real-world impact of mobility hubs on how people commute to work, and how they travel while at work.

“It indicates there is significant employee support for more active and sustainable modes of travel, as long as people have the security of access to a car or a bike when they really need one for a journey. We were especially interested to observe that many of those taking part in the trial were planning to continue to commute by bike or another active travel mode, and that they were open to paying for car club usage on campus.”

Professor Mary Ryan, vice-provost (research and enterprise) and College lead for the Transition to Zero Pollution Initiative, said, “This ambitious pilot project brought together researchers across College to explore one of the challenging aspects on the path to net zero. This interdisciplinary approach, coupling zero emissions technology with behavioural science and economics, leads to a solution that is both better for humans and the planet.”

Ben Lawson, Vice President for Mobility for Europe at Enterprise, adds, “This trial provides us with the first data-led evidence that workplace mobility hubs can encourage shared and active travel among employees, both for business trips and the commute.

“Providing more active and zero-emission transport options can help organisations to guide their employees to the most sustainable travel choice and encourage them to leave a higher-emission privately-owned car at home. It is another example of how transport hubs that provide a range of zero-emission shared options for employee travel can shape a better future mobility ecosystem.”