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Greener Miles: how government and business can work together to reduce emissions from the commute

New CBI and KPMG report outlines key steps that employers and government can take to help more commuters make climate conscious choices about how they travel to work.

30 Apr 2021, 2 min read

Transport accounts for around a third of UK carbon emissions, while 20% of all distanced travelled pre-pandemic happened on commutes. If the UK is to meet its obligations to reach net zero by 2050, businesses and government must therefore transform how people commute. 

The restart presents an unprecedented opportunity for employers, operators and public officials to reset expectations about travel to work. This can be made a reality by offering commuters lower emissions alternatives including improved public transport networks, better infrastructure for Electric Vehicles (EVs), and enhanced access to active travel and shared mobility options. 

What does the report recommend? 

As part of our campaign to transform the journey: better commutes for all, the CBI’s new report, in partnership with KPMG, ‘Greener Miles’ lays out the steps businesses and government should take to deliver this. These include: 

For employers: 

  • Taking greater responsibility for the emissions created by their employees’ commutes by factoring them into their net zero strategies
  • Setting out tangible steps to help their employees make greener journeys to and from work, including by incentivising public transport use and use of shared and active travel options
  • Making workplaces more conducive to low emissions travel, including accessibility to on-site changing facilities, EV charging, and proximity to public transport.

For government: 

  • Providing the right levels of support to public transport operators to drive a revolution in zero emissions bus roll-out across the UK and reform fares across the rail network
  • Setting out a clear delivery plan for EV infrastructure delivery
  • Enabling the right levels of data sharing and consultation with other road users to enable permanent increases in opportunities for use of shared and active travel by commuters.  

Read the full list of recommendations.

Next steps 

Looking ahead the CBI will continue to explore what steps are required to build commuter networks fit for the future. This will include exploring how UK firms can prepare to make the most of rapid changes in transport technology over the coming decades.  

If you would like to discuss our work on commuting or other infrastructure projects, please contact Freddie Hopkinson.