ENSCC smart and mobile work in growth regions : smart commuting

The aim of the two-year international project “Smart Commuting” was to understand the needs and characteristics of commuters as well as the opinions of various transport-related stakeholders concerning smart and sustainable commuting. Attention was also given to the understanding of current trends affecting the mobility sector and its implications for sustainable commuting with a special focus of new mobility concepts like car-/ridesharing or mobility as a service. Finally, guidelines for an effective transformation of the current car-based commuter paradigm to more sustainable ways of travelling were derived. The study comprised an extensive literature research about trends in the commuter environment, an online-based commuter and stakeholder survey as well as interviews and workshops with experts and aimed at deriving findings with a high potential for practical and effective implementation. The commuter and stakeholder questionnaires were conducted in Austria, Finland and Switzerland enabling to capture relevant European trends and commuter characteristics. The following report encompasses mainly the findings of the Institute for Sustainable Development of the Zurich University of Applied Sciences (ZHAW) with focus on Switzerland and refers to the deliverables of the Smart Commuting project partners. The study revealed that the commuter society can be grouped into four different groups with specific characteristics. This classification allows to specifically design measures with higher adoption potential, thus accelerating the transition to a sustainable commuter environment. Overall, public transport is still seen as less comfortable and enjoyable than the private car for the majority of commuters. Moreover, the proportion of survey respondents open to the use of new and more sustainable mobility systems such as car- or ridesharing is low (less than 20% in average). Furthermore, a gap between the expectations of commuters and stakeholders with respect to the openness towards these new systems exists as the stakeholders stated to actively promote new and sustainable mobility. The study therefore provides starting points on how to close this gap and foster sustainability in commuting. Finally, the findings from two expert workshops highlight the need for company specific mobility management, since there was overall agreement that this measure leads to a high benefit for both, the employee and employer