Green travel plans for workplaces : incentives for modal shift in the Maltese public sector

Abstract

In line with the 2050 National Transport Strategy and the 2025 National Transport Master Plan, the Maltese Government is promoting initiatives to encourage modal shift. The Ministry for Transport, Infrastructure and Capital Projects (MTIP) is conducting a pilot project with the primary objective to introduce and promote sustainable modes of travel amongst its employees and encouraging them to use more environmentally friendly forms of transport instead of using their own car. As part of this project a user survey was carried out to establish the current modes of transport used for the daily commute and to determine the users’ willingness to shift to more sustainable modes of transport. This paper gives an overview of commuter behaviour and the reasons for their propensity to shift to greener modes of transport. At the time of the survey, 78% of respondents used the private car to commute, whilst around 10% used the bus. Employees are most willing to shift to an electric vehicle and are least interested in bicycle sharing initiatives. Based on the survey findings the MTIP is currently formulating a set of incentives, forming part of a Green Travel Plan, which shall be piloted at a Ministry level and which may later be adopted across the Maltese Public Sector.