QUICK WINS:

• Encourage meetings that are accessible (both venue and timing) via public transport
• Do not provide petrol for personal mileage on company cars;
• Review business mileage for the past six or 12 months and set targets for reduction, with a prize for the winning individual/ department;

The types of trip which can be classed as 'business travel' include:

• staff attending meetings;
• staff undertaking site visits;
• travel between sites of the same organisation - particularly common in the health and education sectors;
• health workers visiting patients at home or at other practices; and
• provision of transport services in order to carry out the organisation's activities.

Business travel is an important area to tackle as part of a travel plan because:

• business travel accounts for a significant percentage of all journeys undertaken;
• the length of business travel journeys is increasing over time;
• there are significant cost implications for employers (fuel, insurance etc); and
• business travel activities can have significant environmental consequences.

What can an organisation do to reduce business travel?

• encourage employees to ask "is this meeting really necessary?";
• encourage tele- and video- conferencing wherever possible;
• reduce the number of company cars in the organisation;
• encourage car sharing to regular meetings; and
• provide public transport journey planner information.