A new digital planning tool that can help companies decarbonise their workers’ office commutes is now available.

The data provides comprehensive analysis of commuter data for employers, including the impact and availability of lower carbon active travel, public transport and car sharing options

Launched by tech company and certified social enterprise Mobilityways, the new CommuteIQ solution provides employers with a 360-degree view of the real-world commuting options available to all their staff.

The digital dashboard tool works with employee data, including the postcode of their homes and places of work, to display the potential impact of each mode of transport, and suggest lower emission commute alternatives.

The data is displayed through a visual dashboard and interactive maps – and provides comprehensive analysis of commuter data for employers, including the impact and availability of lower carbon active travel, public transport and car sharing options.

CommuteIQ maps and analyses the viability of each commute – for instance walking or cycling – based on several factors, including the length of the average commute per mode of travel, and the greenest and safest journey per mode. So, for example, it would only suggest an employee could travel to work by bike or public transport if it was actually viable – not just because it is technically possible.

Julie Furnell, managing director of Mobilityways, said: “For example, we know that if a commute by public transport involves more than one change and takes over twice as long as that convenient solo car journey they are taking today – the employer has a very slim chance of persuading that member of staff out of his car and onto public transport. An alternative mode of transport will need to be offered.”

It’s also able to uncover, again based on postcodes of all employers’ staff, whether another member of staff who drives to the office today, lives within a mile of him or her. If the company has the Liftshare carsharing scheme – also offered by MobilityWays – in place, then there is an immediate potential to share a lift into work on the days when both employees are commuting into the same office.

Furnell added: “We can use the data, which is all gathered and crunched in CommuteIQ, to recommend that an employer incentivises more sustainable modes of travel. Besides the obvious environmental impact, this has many operational benefits, including site access and planning, retention and recruitment of staff, and a possible reduction in the cost of the commute.

“Because we have been working with over 700 large companies on their commute change plans for several years, we can even tell you what sorts of incentives are likely to work best in your circumstances. We often work with employers to segment employees by commute behaviour and recommend routes to persuading specific groups to make modal changes.”