Travel plans as part of a sustainability policy

Your office can reduce the environmental impact of staff and visitor travel by producing a travel plan and choosing greener vehicles.

Good practice

Develop a travel plan for your office

A travel plan can help reduce your environmental impact by promoting more sustainable travel choices.

You will need to consider how employees and visitors travel to and from your site and the vehicles owned and operated by your business.

Travel plans are designed to:

• reduce congestion in your local area
• reduce demand for car parking spaces at your site
• encourage staff to live a healthy lifestyle.

See our guidance on the resources available to help you produce a travel plan.

Transport Scotland: ChooseAnotherWay.com

How can you reduce your vehicle emissions?

The Energy Saving Trust has produced a smart phone app that can save you money and track your fuel use. You can find out about the app at:

Energy saving Trust: FuelGood

Control your vehicle use

Transport costs your business money. You can save money through your choice of vehicles, the way you use them and the fuel they use.

Buy, or plan to replace your vehicles with the most efficient models on the market.

Vehicle Certification Agency (VCA): New car fuel consumption and exhaust emissions

If you lease vehicles, choose those with the best environmental performance. This will save you money on road tax and on fuel costs.

Consider alternative fuels such as liquid propane gas (LPG) and hybrids or electric vehicles if appropriate.

Improve the driving skills of your staff and help them to develop more efficient driving techniques.

Energy Saving Trust: tips for safer, greener, stress-free driving

In Scotland, contact the Energy Saving Trust. They can help you save up to 15% of the costs of running your vehicles.

Energy Saving Trust Scotland: Transport

Maintain vehicles to make sure that they are running as efficiently as possible and keep tyres inflated to the correct pressure.

Train your staff in more efficient driving techniques.

Encourage cycling

Take advantage of the government's cycle to work scheme and encourage your staff to cycle to work.

Your staff can then benefit from tax exemption if they purchase bicycles or cycling equipment through the scheme.

Department for Transport: Cycle to work scheme
Cyclescheme
NI Business Info: Workplace travel plans
Cycling Scotland

End-of-life vehicles and waste tyres

You should dispose of all waste vehicles at an authorised treatment facility (ATF) and obtain a certificate of destruction.

End-of-life vehicles

You must no longer send whole and shredded used tyres to landfill. This ban does not include bicycle tyres, or tyres with an outside diameter greater than 1.4 metres. Ask your waste contractor for collection and disposal options in your area.

Find your nearest waste site

In this Sector Guideline

Car parking

Carriage of dangerous goods

Refrigerated transport and equipment

Travel plans for education

Travel plans and green transport for offices

Vehicle air-conditioning systems

Vehicle cleaning (including wheel washing)

Vehicle emissions

Vehicle movements and deliveries at construction sites

Vehicle refinishing products