People from across the region have been leaving their car at home and travelling to work for free using public transport, thanks to Travel South Yorkshire’s recent Leave the Key campaign. unLTD’s Bronte Saulle caught up with the team
The aim of the #LittleBigChanges campaign is to encourage as many people as possible to make small changes to their lifestyle and encourage transport choices that are more active and sustainable, better for the individual and the local environment.
Travel South Yorkshire Marketing Manager, Richard Pilgrim, explained: “For those who normally commute by car to work, we have given people the opportunity to try public transport for free over the course of 28 days.
“Our message has been clear – ditch the car and see just how easy and convenient travelling to your workplace by bus, train, tram or tram train can be.
“Whichever service or services participants decided to use, the campaign showed that you can save money on fuel and parking costs, take time to relax and reduce stress, cut out the congestion by letting someone else drive and of course be greener by reducing emissions.”
The Travel South Yorkshire’s Active and Sustainable Travel team surveyed the trialists throughout their experience and afterwards to measure the impact of the campaign. Key findings revealed that over half (56 per cent) have been converted to using public transport for some of their commuter trips and 64 per cent will continue to choose public transport for leisure purposes.
During the trial period, 46 per cent used public transport for over 15 days, 19 per cent between 11 and 15 days and 15 per cent for 7 to 10 days.
In last month’s issue of unLTD magazine, the impact that ditching the car could have on health and wellbeing was featured. Public transport use is an effective way to incorporate physical activity into daily life, with one in three public transport users meeting physical activity guidelines. Therefore, it comes as no surprise that 42 per cent reported being more active and 67 per cent less stressed over the course of the 28 days.
Richard said: “We’ve had a fantastic response from our ‘Leave the key’ trialists, which is great news. Despite the recent public transport challenges, we are seeing quite a positive response from this cohort of travellers.”
Survey results indicated that the majority of people who took part live in close proximity to public transport (90 per cent), with 87 per cent opting to commute by bus, 59 per cent by tram and 49 per cent by train.
Other findings showed good satisfaction levels of reliability of public transport (51 per cent), journey time (48 per cent), safety (88 per cent), friendliness (87 per cent) and comfort (72 per cent).
Richard tells us “this is just the start”.
“Ultimately, we want to encourage people after the trial period to continue using public transport as much as possible. We have lots of exciting plans for 2020 and are looking forward to sharing them so watch this space,” he said.
If your workplace would like to know more about how SYPTE can help with a more sustainable commute, email the team at: sustainabletravel@sypte.co.uk
