They say the smallest changes can make the biggest difference – and Travel South Yorkshire’s Active and Sustainable Travel team couldn’t agree more. So much so, they’ve made it their latest campaign as Sasha Mossman found out
Dubbed #LittleBigChanges, the Active and Sustainable Travel team have been leading a movement offering 28-day free trials on public transport across the city, in a move designed to encourage workers in the Sheffield City Region to leave the car at home.
The team, which is based at South Yorkshire Passenger Transport Executive (SYPTE), has been working with workplaces across the region to push the offer to those relocating – including some big hitters like HSBC and Grant Thornton – and those facing parking pressures as well as those looking to change the way they commute.
Marketing Manager Richard Pilgrim said: “Our work is mainly focused on supporting businesses with their commuter travel. Think public transport – bus, tram, tram train and train – or cycling and walking.
“If someone is interested in reducing their car use for commuter travel, then we’re interested in helping them out with their travel options – this can also include those currently car sharing.”
The team, which has been (if you pardon the pun!) active since 2013, is made up of nine members working both part and full-time, split into two smaller marketing and business engagement focused teams.
Currently funded through the Department for Transport’s Sustainable Travel Access Fund (STAF), the team travel from business to business to provide support for qualifying companies.
In these sessions, the team speak to colleagues at the company about travel issues, which often involves relocation, car park pressures, staff feedback or health and environmental concerns.
Richard said: “Whatever changes a person makes, their efforts will not go unnoticed. Whether your change is down to your wallet, waistline or the world around you, healthier choices to transport plans can result in a big change to the quality of your life.”
The Active and Sustainable Travel team then evaluates the feedback in order to decide how to support and then work with each business. This can typically involve several options – one of which would be to set up a Travel Clinic, where staff fill out a travel survey to follow up any support given.
If the Free 28-Day Trial pass is selected, staff are also offered a 50 per cent off follow-on pass once the trial is complete if they choose to continue using public transport. Once staff are satisfied, the team again evaluate how well the process has worked in order to be able to repeat this with new staff and other companies.
Richard added: “This year alone, we’ve had some lovely feedback from local businesses we’ve helped, who’ve seen a great deal of change after switching transport.
“With the free trial pass covering the whole of the region it means that South Yorkshire is your oyster.”
Professional services, accounting and consulting business Grant Thornton are one of many success stories for the team, after they sought transport advice when relocating offices in February 2019.
The firm moved two miles, from Sheffield’s Broadfield Business Park to the former NUM building in Barkers Pool, relocating around 150 members of staff to the new HQ. The Active and Sustainable Travel team were responsible for providing support prior to the move and access to a 28-day public transport travel trial from the start of the relocation.
Richard said: “We have just reached their six-month anniversary for Grant Thornton’s relocation, and the feedback we received was overwhelmingly positive.”
“More than 90 per cent of the participants have decided to continue using public transport following on, with the same percentage stating they were impressed with the safety elements and proximity to transport links available to them in the region.”
The team have seen similar success during the live trials at HSBC’s Sheffield offices – their largest relocation programme to date, having relocated from Griffin House to Grosvenor House with 213 participants.
Richard said: “Our feedback has been great for the HSBC relocation. More than 80 per cent of participants said they were satisfied with stress levels compared to driving, and 68 per cent are satisfied with their journey time when compared to driving.”
Additionally, software firm ANSYS-UK relocated from Sheffield Business Park into the city centre. Feedback at the follow-on stage shows that 77 per cent of participants will continue to choose public transport for some of their journeys to and from work, with the same percentage stating they’d recommend public transport to others.
Interested in active travel for your company?
Get in touch:
- Website: www.travelsouthyorkshire.com/business
- Email: sustainabletravel@sypte.co.uk
- Twitter: www.twitter.com/TSYActiveTravel
- LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/company/travel-south-yorkshire
Breakout stats =
84% of HSBC participants will continue to use public transport for some work journeys
90% of Grant Thornton staff felt less stressed than driving to work
66% of HSBC participants would recommend public transport
77% of Grant Thornton participants would recommend public transport
