Back in February, we asked you to complete a survey from Southampton City Council about how you travel to work.
We wanted to understand your travel habits and whether you’d consider alternatives to commuting by car. Other local employers are completing their own surveys, and Southampton City Council will combine these insights in order to inform future travel initiatives in the city.
We had a brilliant response rate to our survey, and we’d like to share a couple of our Carnival UK insights with you along with details of what both Carnival UK and the council are working on.
Summary
61% of colleagues who completed the survey told us that their car is their main mode of transport, with around 30% of you commuting either by train, bus or on foot. Here are the results in more detail.
61% of colleagues drive to work alone.
As well as this, 4% of colleagues car share as a driver and 3% car share as a passenger.
10% of colleagues take the bus to work.
8% of colleagues take the train to work.
8% of colleagues walk to work.
3% of colleagues cycle to work.
2% take a ferry, 1% use a motorbike and 0% use e-scooter.
While car is the main mode of transport, almost 50% of you told us that you would consider traveling to work by public transport or via a car share scheme.
Supporting you to take an alternative, greener commute
Car
You told us
61% of respondents live more than 8 miles away, making commuting by car a likely choice. Most of those people travelled on their own.
Supporting you
We already have a salary sacrifice electric car scheme in place and this has recently been expanded to include Ultra Low Emission Vehicles with CO2 of 50g/km. Find out more here. The council is also looking at piloting a car share scheme for the latter part of 2023. The results of the pilot will help local employers and the council consider if this is beneficial as a longer term offering.
Bicycle
You told us
Since the survey, we’ve seen an increase in the number of colleagues cycling to work which is fantastic, however we’d like to encourage even more.
Supporting you
We’re working to address the barriers that may be preventing colleagues from choosing to cycle to work. We hope to present new facilities and amenities for our new handlebar heroes soon.
Whether you cycle for work or pleasure, join our Carnival UK team and record your rides in order to win great prizes and help us beat other local businesses! Join Love to Ride here.
Bus
You told us
Our results showed that colleagues may consider the bus if it was quicker (41%), more frequent, only one bus was required, or tickets were discounted (27%).
Supporting you
The council is meeting with the bus companies but is also looking at a pilot scheme to offer discounted bus tickets for the latter part of 2023. The results will help local employers and the council consider if this is beneficial as a longer term offering.
The survey results of local companies will also help the council and Bluestar/UniLink understand how they can provide a better service.
Train
You told us
Similar to bus travel, the price of tickets and timetables is a key challenge.
36% of respondents said that they would consider train travel if cheaper tickets were available.
Supporting you
Discussions remain ongoing with providers around ticket options and pricing.
Make travel a Breeze
Search and download the Breeze app on your phone to find the quickest, cheapest, and most eco-friendly options for travelling in Southampton, Portsmouth, South Hampshire and the Isle of Wight.
With Breeze you can find and book travel by:
• Bus
• Train
• Voi e-scooter
• Beryl Bike
You can also track your bus to see where it is so you don’t miss it!
Learn more on the Breeze website
What’s next?
Carnival UK meets with the Southampton City Council and other local employers on a quarterly basis. These sessions allow us to share ideas and it gives the council the opportunity to update us on travel initiatives. In February 2024, we will re-run the travel survey. This will help us to see if there have been any changes over the year and will enable us to start to see trends.