Nov 21, 2022
You wonât achieve your sustainability goals without addressing air travel.
And this means supporting your team to use alternatives, such as public transport, ride-hailing, and micromobility. In this article, youâll learn the benefits of taking a multimodal approach to business travel and how it can work for your business.
Corporate air travel makes up 12% of all flights but is responsible for 30% of aviation emissions. For your company to do its bit for the planet, itâs time to address air travel â particularly for short-haul trips.
Flights emit 13 times more carbon than trains, and 34% of the 150 busiest flight routes in the EU have train alternatives under six hours. In France, for example, domestic flights are banned when an alternative rail route takes 2.5 hours or less. And there are calls for policymakers across Europe to take similar action.
Your business needs to act before government policies make these decisions for you.
Only 7% of business travel is over 1,000 miles, with most trips being under 250 miles â these numbers make limiting air travel much more straightforward.
Youâve also got to consider the propensity for disruptions when flying. âA lot of airlines are still coming back from covid, and theyâre understaffed,â says Andrew Short from the Bolt Business Strategic Partnerships team. âDelays and baggage loss seem to be rife at the moment.â
Trains are the obvious alternative to short-haul air travel. While the travel time may be shorter on a plane, going by train removes the airport rush and the time it takes to go through security.
After arriving at your destination, youâll need another form of transport depending on how close the train station is to your office or meeting. The multimodal approach comes into play here, and you have several options:
Ride-hailing guarantees you a ride from the train station to your onward destination. And because youâre not driving, you get the convenience of being able to work, check your emails, and make calls from the backseat.
Meanwhile, micromobility services, including electric scooters and e-bikes, are an excellent option for covering the first and last mile. After sitting on a train, travelling by scooter or e-bike allows you to stretch your legs and get some air.
âWhen you arrive in a city, choosing a scooter, e-bike, ride-hailing journey, or a variant of these to get to your hotel or meeting are so fluid that it makes travelling much easier.â
Andrew Short, Strategic Partnerships, Bolt Business
Making a sustainable shift in how your team travels isnât just a must for your business; itâs your corporate responsibility.
But a struggle of moving away from air travel is that the frequent fliers in your team may resist alternative travel methods. And this is where the real challenge sits with your business.
Changing travel habits isnât easy, but there are a couple of ways to make the transition easier: offering incentives and partnering with a sustainable mobility partner.
Rewarding your team for taking a multimodal trip rather than flying makes the transition easier for frequent fliers. You could offer rewards, such as better hotel options, or allow travellers to combine business travel with leisure. But incentives alone arenât enough.
You need to ensure that your travellers have a reliable, comfortable, and smooth experience. The simplest way to achieve this is by signing up with a sustainable mobility service that provides multiple transport options in a single app â such as Bolt Business.
Over time, the transition to more sustainable mobility will be second nature to your team. You only need to look back to the pandemic to see how people can adapt.
44% of business travellers say that remaining productive in transit has become more important following the pandemic. But air travel rarely supports productivity.
Even the smallest laptops rarely fit on plane tables, and youâre disconnected for the duration of your flight. One way to get more space is flying first class, but that increases a tripâs carbon emissions by nine times compared to travelling in economy.
Meanwhile, travelling by train offers internet connectivity, power outlets, and often more space.
âWhen you travel by train, you havenât got the airport rush, and you can work if you want. Train travellers return from their business trips refreshed rather than jet-lagged.â
Andrew Short, Strategic Partnerships, Bolt Business
Sometimes air travel is unavoidable. And in those cases, itâs important to give your team a comfortable journey to and from the airport â especially if theyâre landing in an unfamiliar country.
This is a point made by Andrew Short, Strategic Partnerships Manager at Bolt: âGetting off the plane and knowing someoneâs waiting for you, or you have access to a vehicle from a reputable organisation, is super important. And I think thatâs becoming more of a priority for businesses when sending employees on corporate travel.
âIf youâre flying from London to Thailand, for example, a country where the culture is so different, you know the same travel app will get you to and from the airport in both locations.â
And Bolt Business can take travellers on that end-to-end journey.
If work takes you around the world, then flights are often unavoidable. When travelling domestically, there are other options.
Whether you want to support your team in taking sustainable alternatives to flying or give them a smooth airport transfer, Bolt Business can help.
Depending on where your team is travelling, they can:
Get in touch with our team to discuss sustainable business travel.
