Now in its 4th year, and with 10,325 responses, Commuter Census® has recorded a new high in employees not working from home, with hybrid working being the order of the day every year after 2020.

Four in ten people are no longer working from home at all, even though only 15% of employees would prefer this working arrangement. The preference for commuters is a hybrid model of home and on-site working; 63% of respondents would like to work from home between one and four times per week.

The results show an increasing need for sustainable commuting as more people return to the office. Mobilityways – which compiles Commuter Census – has determined, through their Commuter Emissions Calculation, that the average worker emits 849 kg of CO2e through commuting every year.

This figure has hardly seen a reduction from two years ago, despite a 17% decrease in commuters who travel to work alone in a petrol or diesel car, and an increase in more sustainable commuting methods. However, people are now travelling to work much more frequently compared to 2022, which is pushing up emissions regardless.

Mobilityways is a climate tech organisation and social enterprise on a mission to make zero-carbon commuting a reality. Its products and consultancy enable employers to measure, reduce and report their commuter emissions.

Commuter Census 2024 has revealed a desire from commuters to receive more help from their employers in their bid to help decarbonise the commute. More than half of respondents said they would like more help to commute sustainably, meaning the responsibility is now on large organisations to make sustainable commuting as easy as possible – for the planet, their employees’ pockets, and their net-zero goals. Scope 3 emissions reporting may also soon be a legal requirement under the Labour Government’s new net-zero plans.

Mobilityways Managing Director Julie Furnell said: “The onus is now on the employer to make it feasible for employees to reduce their commuter emissions. If they do, the opportunity for Scope 3 emissions reduction is clearly huge, especially in large organisations.

“Of the remaining 50% of respondents who said they didn’t want more help to commute more sustainably, it’s possible that many could already be doing so. Therefore, the assumption can be made that more than half of workers across the UK are either travelling to work sustainably already, or would consider it with further assistance.

“We’ve seen a huge 42% decrease in those who would consider working from home as an alternative to their current mode of commuting compared to last year.  Just 26% of respondents said they would consider it this year.  This means that employers must provide new ways to get their workforce to site sustainably and reduce their Scope 3 emissions, which we expect will be a legal requirement to report soon.”

Commuter Census 2024 also found that just 38% of respondents are now travelling to work in a petrol or diesel SOV, and less than half (45%) were commuting by any form of SOV, including hybrid and electric vehicles.

This is the first time ever that the number of commuters who drive alone with a petrol or diesel car has fallen below 40%, with a 17% decrease in petrol or diesel car use since 2022.

It was also revealed that 15% of employees now carpool to work, which represents a return to pre-pandemic levels. Meanwhile, six in ten people would consider carpooling or carpooling in an EV as an alternative to their current commute.