The Confederation of British Industry (CBI) and KMPG have today published a new report "Commuting Beyond the Coronavirus". 

The coronavirus pandemic has forced changes of an unprecedented scale to take place across the UK’s commuting networks. As businesses look to return to some form of on-site work, they are aware that many employees will not return to their former travel patterns, and that staff will have new expectations for flexible, reduced carbon, and COVID-secure travel.  

The CBI and KPMG have published a new paper, Commuting beyond the coronavirus, that takes stock of these changes and what it will mean for both government policy and business behaviour going forwards. 

The new report lays out ten steps that government and business can take to create robust future commuter networks, including how best to support operators as they adjust to new patterns of demand, encouraging employers to be more proactive in reviewing their workforce’s travel patterns and calling on government to support the roll-out of more flexible ticketing.

These steps include: 

• Changing government advice against all but essential travel public transport as soon as capacity constraints are relaxed through the integration of safety measures
• Supporting transport operators as they adjust to new patterns of demand, acknowledging that public transport is the long-term answer to beating congestion and creating vibrant towns and cities
• Encouraging employers to be more proactive, reviewing their workforce’s travel patterns and supporting active travel options that can benefit their staff
• Investing in the infrastructure needed for more flexible ticketing, mass uptake of electric vehicles, and improving connectivity across the UK. 

Source: www.cbi.org.uk