Case Studies
Enterprise: Operating shared, sustainable mobility from our rental branch in Barnet
Sponsored case study
Enterprise opened a new rental vehicle location in Barnet in April 2021, following the conversion of a previously empty former pub. This neighbourhood branch was strategically located to provide local residents with a new form of shared, sustainable mobility, whilst linking effectively with other modes of transport in the area. The branch is located on a main road, with the nearest bus stop being almost adjacent allowing travel in less than ten minutes to High Barnet Underground Station and New Barnet mainline station, as well as quick walking and cycling access to local stations and the town centre.
The location currently operates a fleet of up to 350 fully ULEZ compliant vehicles, including both cars and LCVs and which are typically in use by a variety of different customers for over 90% of the time. Enterprise customers are a mixture between local residents, visitors to the area, business including SMEs and public sector entities. However, in Barnet, the overwhelming majority of customers are local residents renting vehicles where they do not own a private vehicle, or a large enough vehicle, or individuals accessing replacement mobility if their own vehicle is unavailable.
The location also includes two vehicles from the Enterprise Car Club fleet. These automated rental vehicles provide low emission shared access seven days a week, twenty-four hours a day to residents, businesses and visitors, and are also linked to the wider Enterprise Car Club network across outer and inner London.
Citizen participation in urban transport strategy – Suwon, South Korea
In order to encourage behavioural change, officials in Suwon have involved residents directly in the design and implementation of its urban transport strategy. 99
The city’s plan for citizen-led urban planning was established in 2011. The following year, the city publicly recruited members to form The Citizens’ Group for Urban Policy Planning. This group of 300 participants collects important issues among citizens and holds roundtable discussions to set the direction for the basic plans of Suwon. 100 Citizens were also recruited to monitor the progress of policies and take part in participatory budgeting.
An example of the change enacted through this process can be seen in the aftermath of the city’s car-free experiment. In 2013, as part of the Eco-Mobility World Festival, the 4,343 residents of Suwon agreed to stop using their cars for 30 days. In order to ensure that the streets of the neighbourhood would be “car-free”, 1,500 cars were moved out of the neighbourhood to parking lots outside the city. 101
A year later, the city hosted a citizens’ roundtable, which called for speed restrictions, parking controls and one-way systems to be instituted in the neighbourhood where the experiment took place. The immediate changes that were made included 102:
- Speed restricted to 30km per hour.
- Car-free weekends.
- Residents were allowed to have their free car-parking rights in parking lots renewed permanently, with free rental of bikes.
Public transport subsidies – Bogotá, Colombia
Research has shown that in Bogotá, low-income individuals pay more relative to their income for using the public transport system compared to more affluent individuals. 103 In 2014, the city of Bogotá implemented a transport subsidy scheme to help people on low incomes gain access to more affordable public transport. 104 At that time, the benefit reached up to a 66 per cent discount during off-peak hours. 103
The public transport system in Bogotá is centred around a Bus Rapid Transit (BRT), along with a feeder system of buses. 106 The BRT is based on high-capacity buses operating in dedicated bus lanes on specific routes, known as trunk routes. Feeder buses connect passengers from residential areas to the trunk routes, bringing them to BRT bus stops. 107
A 2016 World Bank evaluation of the effects of the subsidy on transit system use found that recipients had a 56 per cent increase in monthly trips when compared to normal fare card use. In 2017, amendments were made to the scheme to ensure the subsidy was effectively targeting the poorest households. 108 As well as launching a new fare policy, the municipality eliminated transfer surcharges, allowed users to hold a negative balance of up to two trips in their smartcard, and expanded the network of recharging locations, especially in the poorest neighbourhoods. 106
In February 2020, the number of subsidised travel cards represented around 18 per cent of total trips in the system, with over 614,000 users. A 2022 evaluation of the scheme found that it had a significant positive impact on the total number of trips made by subsidiary beneficiaries, both on weekdays and weekends. 103
Sustainable Travel Towns – Darlington, Peterborough, and Worcester
In 2004, the towns of Darlington, Peterborough and Worcester won the Department of Transport’s “Sustainable Travel Towns” competition. The three towns jointly received £10 million in funding to implement a range of “soft” transport policies that would encourage more sustainable travel over a five-year period. 111 “Soft” transport policies are designed to motivate individuals to voluntarily change their travel behaviour to more sustainable modes. In contrast, “hard” policies tend to be more punitive, and can be more difficult to implement due to public opposition and political infeasibility (for example, congestion charging).
Prior to the schemes’ commencement, more than two-thirds of trips were made by car in all three towns.[ii] A significant proportion of car journeys were very short, and within residents’ own towns.
All three towns put in place a range of initiatives to encourage more use of non-car options such as the bus, walking, and cycling – as well as discouraging single-occupancy car use.
Strategies used included: 112
- Public transport and active travel promotion.
- School and workplace travel planning, which builds on people’s travel needs to develop measures that make it easier to travel to school or work via sustainable modes.
- Large-scale personal travel planning, which aims to deliver targeted transport information directly to individuals via one-on-one conversations, cycling maps or bus timetables – as well as information about relevant subsidies. 113
A long-term evaluation conducted on behalf of the Department of Transport in 2016 concluded that the Sustainable Travel Towns project was successful in reducing car travel and increasing the use of other modes. 112 Overall, in the three winning towns, there was a reduction in total traffic levels of around two per cent, as well as a reduction of between 7 and 10 per cent in the number of car driver trips per resident.
Although the growth of bus use in Worcester and Peterborough was part of the Sustainable Travel Towns success story, bus use subsequently declined in all three towns. In contrast, the evidence suggests that increases in cycling and walking have sustained, supported by high-quality or improved infrastructure in all three towns and further promotional work through Local Sustainable Transport Fund (LSTF) funding.
Controlled Parking Zones – Vienna, Austria
Vienna’s “Parkraumbewirtschaftung” parking management policy has improved the city’s parking situation, reduced car traffic, and provided positive economic and environmental benefits.
Parking restrictions apply Monday to Friday during the daytime. Revenues from the scheme are earmarked for the city’s transport system, including funds for public transport, road safety measures and municipal neighbourhood garages. 115
Between 1993 and 2012, the city rolled out parking restrictions across a number of areas, beginning in the centre and gradually including districts closer to the periphery. 116 The outer districts saw a reduction in average parking space occupancy rates from 83 per cent to 60 per cent in the morning, and from 88 per cent to 79 per cent in the evening. There was also a reduction in unauthorised parking by 72 per cent in the morning and 13 per cent in the evening, improving traffic conditions and safety for other transport users.
The city’s parking system was frequently subject to criticism due to individual districts having different parking regulations. 117 In March 2022, Vienna’s parking permit system expanded to cover the whole city, with standardised fees across all districts. 118
As well as reducing car traffic, the policy has the additional environmental benefit of reducing pollution and noise. It also supports the economy, increasing footfall by providing more high-turnover parking spaces for customers and businesses. 115
Trialling Demand Responsive Transport – London Borough of Sutton
Sutton has one of the highest proportions of car ownership of all London boroughs, with 77 per cent of households owning or having access to a private car. 120
As one of only five London boroughs not served by the Underground, an officer working at Sutton’s council stressed that it is the inconvenience of existing public transport options that encourages the use of private cars. Infrequent rail and bus services are particular challenges. The unreliable and inefficient operation of the National Rail network in south London (which serves the area) adds pressure to bus networks and Tube services in other boroughs, since many residents use bus services as a means to bypass their local rail station and get to a more reliable Tube station. 121
The borough has campaigned for new, innovative public transport developments to improve connectivity, such as Demand Responsive Transport (DRT) and tram services. In 2019, TfL launched the “GoSutton” trial for DRT services, run with technology partner ViaVan and bus partner GoAhead. 122 However, the trial was terminated in May 2020 due to the Covid-19 pandemic.
The GoSutton services offered more direct journeys, with the Public Transport Accessibility Index increasing by 29 per cent for residents in the borough. 116 Journey time analysis showed that 73 per cent of GoSutton journeys were quicker than public transport, including waiting and walking times. 60 per cent of respondents to the GoSutton survey who drove said they would use their car less in favour of a demand-responsive bus service.
However, TfL’s analysis of the trial found that there was low take-up, as well as misunderstandings among residents about whom the service was for. Ridership consisted of a small proportion of local populations, with 47 per cent of journeys made using a Freedom Pass (the concessionary travel pass which offers free travel to those with a disability or over 66). 122 There were also concerns around safety at night.
Many people we interviewed argued that the trial in Sutton would have been more successful if the DRT services were integrated into the wider public transport network. In particular, the fact that GoSutton did not serve major rail or Tube stations was cited as a limitation of the trial – as was the lack of Oyster card or travelcard integration.
There are a number of other DRT trials happening across the UK. Some suggest that DRT can play a role in meeting demand for orbital routes, but in areas with high rates of congestion it can be difficult to make such routes financially viable for operators. 125
Becontree Estate, London Borough of Barking and Dagenham
The Becontree Estate is the UK’s biggest council estate, once described as the largest housing estate in the world. 126
Built in the interwar period to provide “homes for heroes”, the Becontree Estate was designed with the “garden city” in mind – a model of urban planning that aims to create small cities where the amenities of urban life can be combined with a more rural environment. This led to the creation of a low-density suburban housing development, which the council is considering how best to serve with sustainable transport alternatives to driving.
Council officers at the Borough of Barking and Dagenham told us how the initial design of the Becontree Estate has contributed to high levels of car dependency in the area. Homes in the estate were originally designed to surround local town centres within walking distance, and a tram line was planned to provide links across the area. However, with the tram system not implemented, and local centres no longer serving people well, many households are now dependent on cars to travel the distances required to access key amenities. The prevalence of multi-car households has led to issues with cars being parked either partly or completely on the pavement, creating an unpleasant pedestrian experience.
Officers stressed that a holistic approach is necessary to enable people to take fewer car journeys in the area – one that combines limiting parking spaces with the provision of strong alternative modes of transport. More frequent bus services, cycle hire schemes, and e-scooter hire schemes could enable more people in Becontree to shift away from private car use. In the middle of the estate, the boulevard where a tram line was once imagined currently offers an underused space that could provide opportunities for active travel. With two dual carriageways on either side, the area is currently inaccessible for pedestrians – but could be redesigned to offer space for walking and cycling.