Case Studies
There's nothing like hearing it from the horse's mouth and to prove that the concepts behind TravelSmart can apply to real situations, this pack includes some case studies from around the world of employers who've developed and implemented access plans.
The employers included cover a broad range of types of work and location, and demonstrate that real gains can be made for both the organisation and its staff.
As more case studies are developed, they will be made available on this website.
Current case studies:
- BASF - Ludwigshafen, Germany
- Bellcore - Piscataway, USA
- Boots - Nottingham, UK
- Ford - Genk, Belgium
- Educational Testing Service - Princeton, USA
- CH2M Hill - Bellevue, USA
- Nestle - Noisel, France
- Landeskrankenhaus - Tulln, Austria
- Rijnstate Hospital - Arnhem, Netherlands
- Wolfords - Bregenz, Austria
- Waterschap Veluwe - Appeldorn, Netherlands
BASF Ludwigshafen, Germany
The Situation
One of the world's biggest chemical companies, BASF has around 53 000 staff at its headquarters in Ludwigshafen, near Mannheim.
The company developed an access plan in response to increasing car traffic to its worksite and a rise in the number of car accidents on the site.
The Solution
BASF set up a working group to develop an access plan for the site which featured the following initiatives.
- Promotion of carpooling-designated carpool parking close to the factory entrances and providing convenient interchange to the company bus system
- Extensive on-site bus system-better integration with the public bus system and rail network (working hours changed to match schedules, better service frequencies, more convenient routes)
- Reduction in the number of company vehicles
- Promotion of cycling through the provision of 25 000 bicycles for the company worksite, provision of 15 000 company pool cycles and construction of 10 kilometres of onsite cycle paths
The Results
The BASF access plan has:
- seen an increase in the number of carpool vehicles carrying three people from 50 in 1989 to 1,300 by 1996, an equivalent decline of 2,600 vehicles coming onsite each day; and
- reduced the number of onsite car accidents by 44% between 1991 and 1994.
BELLCORE Piscataway, New Jersey, USA
The Situation
Bellcore is a telecommunications research and development company with over 5000 employees in a suburban location.
It has limited access to public transport so most staff drive to work alone.
The Solution
Because potential Bellcore carpoolers expressed fear of being stranded without a car in the event of unexpected overtime or emergencies, a guaranteed ride home program was established.
For those who cycle or walk to work, showers, cycle racks and lockers are provided.
Vanpooling, assistance in matching carpoolers and compressed work schedules were also offered.
The use of internal videoconferencing has also been increased to help reduce employee trips between worksites.
The Results
Bellcore's program has:
- increased carpooling from 219 to 250 employees ;
- created 14 successful vanpools ;
- encouraged 59 employees to regularly cycle to work ;
- encouraged over 500 employees to telecommute regularly, plus another 515 occasionally ;
- placed 125 workers on compressed work schedules ;
- increased productivity by up to 20%, especially amongst staff who telecommute or work compressed weeks ; and
- reduced the annual $2-$3 million in lost productivity caused by employees driving between sites.
BOOTS Nottingham, UK
The Situation
Boots is one of the UK's largest chemist chains with its headquarters in Beeston on the outskirts of Nottingham.
It has some 7500 staff and developed an access plan as part of its move from an inner-city location to a business park site.
The Solution
Boots joined the Nottingham version of TravelSmart and launched its own access plan with a "travel-to-work" fair at the company headquarters. Local bus companies, cycling organisations and environmental groups were invited to set up stands and talk to staff.
Boots aims to reduce the number of cars coming to the worksite by 20% by 2005. The company's plan included the establishment of a carpooling scheme with software on the intranet. Staff signing up to the scheme were entered in a prize draw to win bicycles for their family.
The scheme was advertised through newsletters, posters and leaflets. Staff were assured of a guaranteed ride home if their car sharing arrangements fell through at short notice.
The company offered a guaranteed ride home for carpoolers who were stranded as well as priority parking spaces near the building entrance. This parking is higher priority than that given to directors and managers.
Extra purpose-built bicycle sheds have been developed where staff can park their bike safely and have a shower, get changed and use a locker.
The Results
The Boots access plan has:
- allowed an additional 1500 staff to be accommodated on the site ;
- seen more than 775 employees register for the carpooling scheme and over 100 become regular carpoolers; and
- increased cycling to the site : 4.25% of staff now cycle to work regularly.
FORD Genk, Belgium
The Situation
Ford has a car manufacturing plant with over 12 000 employees in Genk. The company wanted to reduce the environmental impact of staff car traffic and increase the use of the company bus.
It faced a localised problem, especially at shift changeover when 3000 employees arrived and departed from the site at the same time. This resulted in some accidents involving cyclists and car drivers.
The Solution
The access plan focused on improving the company bus system with more direct and faster routes, better location of bus stops and allowing employees from neighbouring companies to use Ford's company buses.
Carpooling was promoted through an active campaign run by an appointed co-ordinator. Both carpoolers and bus users were guaranteed a ride home if they had to work overtime.
To reduce the number of on-site accidents, a new subway was built outside the factory to allow cyclists to cross the road and avoid any conflict with motor vehicles.
The Results
As a result of the implementation of the access plan, the company achieved the following split of travel modes used to get to work:
- 27.8% drove alone;
- 32.8% carpooled;
- 24.4% used the company bus;
- 5.7% caught public transport buses;
- 1% rode a motorbike; and
- 2.9% cycled.
EDUCATIONAL TESTING SERVICE Princeton, New Jersey, USA
The Situation
The Educational Testing Service (ETS) has its headquarters in a suburban office park. The 2395 staff has little access to public transport, must travel frequently between worksites and have varying work schedules.
ETS developed its access plan after seeking feedback from employees through surveys and focus groups. Throughout the process, strong management support played a crucial role in the plan's acceptance.
The Solution
The plan developed a commuter club whose members had to catch public transport, cycle or walk to work at least 3 days a week.
In return, members received benefits such as preferential parking, a guaranteed ride home in emergencies, and access to a car for travel between sites. Staff who vanpooled or caught public transport also received financial incentives in the form of subsidies of up to $105 a month.
In addition, ETS employees could choose to work compressed work schedules (longer hours per day, fewer days per week) or telecommute.
The company was also able to negotiate with the local public transport operator to provide a new bus line for the site.
The Results
The ETS access plan has:
- increased carpooling to 9% of employees;
- encouraged nearly 10% of workers to telecommute;
- placed over 25% of employees on compressed work schedules; and
- reduced overtime costs and improved customer service, as a result of compressed work schedules.
CH2M HILL Bellevue, Washington, USA
The Situation
CH2M Hill is an engineering firm which has recently moved into new offices in the Seattle suburb of Bellevue.
The firm has 430 employees and faced a potential problem of having too few parking spaces for the number of drivers.
The Solution
Taking advantage of the move, which automatically caused staff to re-think their journey to work, the firm offered employees $70 per month if they walked, cycled, caught public transport or carpooled to get to work.
Those wanting to drive alone were offered free parking.
The Results
The number of staff driving to work alone dropped by 39 per cent after the move.
At the same time, the numbers of staff walking and cycling to work jumped dramatically, as shown in the table below:
| before move | after move | |
|---|---|---|
| drive alone | 89 % | 54 % |
| carpool | 9 % | 12 % |
|
public transport |
1 % | 17 % |
| walking / cycling | 1 % | 17 % |
NESTLE Noisel, France
The Situation
Nestle is one of the world's largest food manufacturers. It developed an access plan for its 1600 employees as part of a re-location to a new site less accessible by other means.
The Solution
The access plan had a strong emphasis on carpooling and included the following actions.
- A promotional campaign
- A carpool matching service on the company's intranet
- Breakfast meetings for possible carpoolers to meet one another
- Financial incentives for carpoolers
- Designated reserved parking spaces for carpoolers
- Free annual vehicle mechanical check and special discounts for carpoolers at local garages
- Guaranteed ride home for emergencies
The Results
As a result of the implementation of the access plan, Nestle registered 550 staff for matching for the carpool program with 125 becoming regular carpoolers.
LANDESKRANKENHAUS Tulln, Austria
The Situation
The Tulln city hospital (or "krankenhaus") is based in a region with one of the lowest population densities and highest car ownership rates in Austria. The hospital takes its staff from 80 neighbouring communities in addition to the city of Tulln and operates 24 hours a day, posing a significant challenge for those seeking to increase public transport usage.
The Solution
Because of this rather difficult situation, the hospital focused on those trips where practical alternatives existed-walking and cycling for staff living nearby. The hospital also worked to reduce the use of cars for shopping trips and running errands during the day. It also tried to reduce the use of light goods vehicles for goods delivery to the hospital. One of the key features of the access plan was a voluntary approach to reducing car traffic. The plan has avoided the use of restrictive measures such as parking prohibitions and choosing, instead, to focus on positive motivation and awareness raising.
The Results
The result of the first phase promoting walking and cycling to local staff has been successful with the share of staff using non-motorised means up by 38%. At the same time the share of staff driving to work alone has dropped from 60% to 57%. The number of shopping trips during the working day by car has been reduced by 23% and the number of delivery trips by light goods vehicles to the hospital is down by 60%.
RIJNSTATE HOSPITAL Arnhem, Netherlands
The Situation
A shortage of parking spaces for the 2700 staff encouraged the hospital board to develop an access plan to promote alternatives to the private car. The plan placed particular emphasis on carpooling, cycling and public transport.
The Solution
The access plan included the following initiatives.
- Financing the purchase of bicycles for staff
- A maintenance service for bicycles
- Reduced train fares through a contract with Netherlands Railways
- Guaranteed ride to or from home for public transport users at times where public transport is not available
- Reserved parking spaces for carpoolers
- Guaranteed ride home for carpoolers in case of emergencies
- Negotiations with the Dutch Treasury to consider incentives for cycling and public transport as a part of employee salaries
The Results
As a result of the Rijnstate Hospital access plan, in the following 2 years:
- use of public transport increased by 22.5%;
- cycling was up by 1.6%;
- car pooling jumped by 3%; and
- driving to work alone dropped by 11.5%.
WOLFORDS Bregenz, Austria
The Situation
Wolfords is a textile and clothing manufacturer with 1300 employees in its Bregenz office. It developed an access plan to create a better environmental record and improve its public image.
The Solution
The access plan included the following actions.
- Locating cycle parking near the office entrances
- Integration of the company bus service with the public transport system
- Establishment of a bicycle maintenance station
- Changing facilities and showers for cyclists
- Free roadworthiness check for bicycles
- Company pool bicycles
- Cycling excursions for employees
- Providing information on cycling routes
The Results
The Wolfords access plan has:
- increased the percentage of staff cycling to work from 18% to 35% over three years;
- decreased the numbers driving to work - down from 33% to 21%.
WATERSCHAP VELUWE Appeldorn, Netherlands
The Situation
Waterschap Veluwe is a water treatment company in the eastern part of the Netherlands with around 200 employees.
The relocation to an industrial site in Appeldorn in 2000 gave the company a chance to change the travel habits of some its staff members through the development and implementation of an access plan.
The Solution
The plan concentrated on cycling, public transport and carpooling. Waterschap Veluwe gave a free bicycle to all staff living within 10 kilometres of the new office as well as an allowance to help them get home by other means on bad weather days. High quality cycle sheds, showers and change rooms were installed in the new building.
The company negotiated lower fares for employees as part of a regional transport agreement with bus operators. Staff were also able to buy annual tickets through an interest free loan and pay the money back through monthly salary deductions.
The company set up carpooling software on the intranet to help potential carpoolers find a ride and also gave an allowance to carpoolers to cover any extra costs they might incur. A guaranteed ride home in the case of emergencies was also offered.
The Results
The Waterschap Veluwe access plan has:
- resulted in about 40% of staff cycling to work;
- a 26% reduction in the number of employees driving to work alone.