(19 Jul 2021, 4:08 pm)Ambassador wrote I've interestingly just come off a regional working group of major employers in the regions representing my own HR function.

We came around to public transport and it was interesting. The takeaways from me from a public transport pov.

- Only 2 of the 70 organisations who attend/surveyed plan a full time return to the office, the rest will adapt hybrid policies - which makes Flex tickets seem a sensible option.

- Internal surveys showed that with face coverings/distancing being mandatory 40% of colleagues said they would travel on public transport.

- Without distancing/face coverings just 10% said they'd travel on public transport - there was particular concern over winter travel.

- Enquiries to car lease plans (particuarly electric) are up 150% on this time in 2019.

- Hybrid workers in the office 2 days a week were more likely to use commuting expense on ride sharing or private taxi companies over a bus. A number of companiees are reaching out to ride share apps to work out adding them to corporate benefit discounts.

- Bike to Work schemes are outstripping supply and most employers have waiting lists as suppliers struggle to meet demand

Some interesting points. I knew the car lease plan demands were high, as we're suffering with a significant lead time at the moment, but 150% is a real eyeopener.

To add to the theme of private car use, in a travel plan we drafted last Autumn, we found that a number of our employees had informally agreed car pooling arrangements in anticipation for a return to work, rather than using public transport.

Even the public sector seem to be giving real consideration to hybrid working patterns; of course as well as the benefit to staff, it also benefits the public body, as allows them to reduce their usually significant estates over the next couple of years, and the financial saving that brings. In addition to this, I know that a number of employers are also looking to formally extend away from the traditional 'office hours', allowing their staff to avoid peak public transport times. Of course that presents another problem, in that public transport is often designed to the benefit of the operator, not the public that use it.