Active Travel For Workplaces

Fitting physical activity into your daily routine is the way to go, according to the evidence. Swapping the car for walking and cycling is great for your health, and the environment. There are other benefits too. Improved health and wellbeing and increased productivity are just a couple identified by the transport charity Sustrans https://www.sustrans.org.uk/our-blog/get-active/2019/everyday-walking-and-cycling/the-benefits-of-being-a-cycle-friendly-employer/.

That’s why we’re working with employers to help staff travel more sustainably. Read on for the support measures available that could help your workforce be more active.

An electric bicycle is one way to travel to work more sustainably. But many people haven’t experienced an e-bike and its role in the commute. Active Surrey has a fleet of four electric bikes. They are available for free for Surrey employers to lend to their staff for a period of a fortnight. Colleagues can try them out for the commute, the school-run, for leisure and more. The fleet comprises two city bikes, a folding bike and a family/cargo bike. Interested? Contact active.surrey@surreycc.gov.uk

The council’s workplace cycle training sessions are great for adults who are less confident cycling as they may not have ridden a bike for many years or never received formal training as a child. Please contact public.cycletraining@surreycc.gov.uk for more information.

The council provides an interactive map of cycle facilities across the county and a list of recommended leisure routes some of which could be incorporated into journeys to and from work.

CycleStreets is a UK-wide cycle journey planner system, which lets users plan routes from A to B by bike. It caters for the needs of both confident and less confident cyclists. https://www.cyclestreets.net/

Evidence shows that public transport users are more active than drivers. The council’s Digital Demand Responsive Transport, known as “Surrey connect”, uses a fleet of battery electric powered minibuses to help Surrey residents with their travel in East Surrey (including Caterham and Oxted), Central Surrey (including Dorking and Leatherhead, Southwest Surrey (including Cranleigh, Haslemere and Farnham), and North Surrey (including Virginia Water and West Guildford).

The service is available to book through the “Surrey connect” website or app or via a booking line. It groups customers together to allow them to share a bus service to locations that are often not easily accessed by standard public bus services.

Until the end of December 2025, many single adult bus tickets are capped at £3. On Transport for London buses fares are £1.75. 

Buses are the UK’s most popular form of public transport and there are dozens of bus routes connecting locations across Surrey. 

Traveline can help find the best routes for a journey using the most up to date information from around Surrey and beyond for all transport companies.

The council provides travel passes enabling free or discounted or bus travel for several groups of residents in the county including for students and people aged 20 and under.

Surrey Choices supports people to travel independently in their local community through travel training. The team works with individuals to create a Personal Travel Plan to support independent travel to work and other destinations. Find out more at Independent Travel Training - Surrey Choices

EasitGuildford A3 is a scheme which provides practical support to businesses to increase the sustainable travel choices made by their employees. Initiatives include: discounts on buses and trains, projects to promote walking, cycling and car sharing, incentives to switch to electric vehicles, and workplace travel surveys and planning. To find out more or to register your business, email info@easit.org.uk

Want to know more? 

Get in touch.

Surrey County Council’s cycling and walking page has active travel information for individuals.