Mobility management plans (or green transport plans GTP) are packages of measures introduced by employers to try and reduce single car occupancy commuting amongst their employees. These plans have become widespread in the UK and Europe and it is now common practise for UK local authorities to appoint Green Transport Officers, charged with promoting and developing these plans. In Ireland, however, the use of these plans has been less widespread. It is only very recently that the government has introduced measures to promote and aid the instigation of these plans. It is an objective of this project to examine the measures taken by authorities both in Ireland and abroad to promote GTP and to make recommendations to the Irish government on the most effective methods of encouraging companies to instigate successful plans. This paper focuses on the impacts of one of the most concrete measures taken by the Irish government to promote sustainable commuting. The Irish government has made public transport tickets a tax-free benefit when provided by an employer under the 1999 Finance Act. The paper attempts to establish the level of awareness of these tickets in companies in Ireland and investigates whether any companies have used the Easi-Travel Plan as a basis to develop a more comprehensive Green Transport Plan. In addition, the study examines the impacts of the Easi-Travel Plan on the travel behaviour of users in Trinity College Dublin, one of the first organisations to become involved with providing the tickets to employees. Trinity College Dublin, located at the centre of the city, suffers from a chronic shortage of parking for employees. However, it is also ideally located close to many public transport networks: the Dart and within walking distance of most city centres bus route termini. The administrators of the Easi-Travel Plan in Trinity College Dublin have been involved in this study and have allowed access to the numbers of people availing of the tickets. Questionnaires are also being issued to members of the staff in Trinity College to ascertain whether the tickets have resulted in a modal shift amongst employees or whether only existing public transport users have used the tickets. For the covering abstract see ITRD E124693.
Samenvatting