Cheaper bus fares boost green commuting options

A single bus journey in Reading will be capped at £2 until the end of March, making it even cheaper to try commuting to work by bus.

Reading Buses has confirmed it is taking part in a national government drive to incentivise bus travel and save passengers money.

The 21a bus from the town centre to Whiteknights campus also set to run more regularly from 9 January after the University gave feedback to the operator about the frequency of the service.

These changes are good news for the almost two thirds of University colleagues who currently drive themselves to work but would consider more sustainable transport, according to the 2022 University Travel Survey.

Survey reveals interest in greener travel

The Travel Survey by the Sustainability team also showed that at least half of the respondents who would consider a greener commute live close enough to campus to make a switch especially viable. 

The Travel Survey report made a number of recommendations to help encourage greener commuting, including working with local councils to improve sustainable travel options, improving on-campus pedestrian routes and cycling facilities, promoting car and lift sharing and investigating ways to reduce the cost of public transport to campus.

Work in response to these recommendations is part of a drive to embed a sustainable culture across the University, with a set of Sustainable Travel Principles recently shared and greater support being rolled out in 2023 to encourage colleagues to make greener choices.

Staff commuting dominates the use of single occupancy vehicles among colleagues and students, with 43% of the 618 colleagues who responded driving to work on their own. However, 63% of these colleagues were willing to consider a lower-carbon way of travelling to the University, with bike, bus and train cited as the most attractive alternatives.

Among both students and staff, 64% of solo drivers to campus would consider a greener travel alternative. Affordability and reliability of public transport options came up often as a barrier to making the change, while segregated pedestrian and cycle paths, improved street lighting and safer road crossings were listed as actions that would encourage colleagues to walk or cycle more.

Our Environmental Sustainability Report revealed in November that we had hit our target for 87% of all commutes to University to be sustainable by 2022. 

Making the switch to sustainable travel

The Sustainability Services team has a range of support to help colleagues switch to more sustainable travel options, including cycle maintenance and training, discounted bus travel, and a free park and ride bus from Mereoak.

Colleagues can also find a match for a lift share through Doing #UoR Bit.

The University’s Travel Survey takes place every two years. Feedback from the survey responses will help inform the University’s next 5-year Travel Plan.

You can read the full results report and summary infographic on the Sustainability Services website.

Some exceptions apply to the £2 bus fare cap. For longer term commuters, a season ticket may be a cheaper option. For more details, see the Reading Buses website.