Transport is a big challenge when it comes to climate protection. Without a transition to sustainable transport, climate protection goals will not be attained. Mobility management is a powerful lever for change and can be implemented by businesses, schools, municipalities and in tourism.

VCÖ-Factsheet "Mobility management: a driving force for mobility transition" as PDF

Using mobility management as a powerful lever

Mobility management addresses specific target groups and helps to make transport climate-friendly and efficient. It encompasses the mobility of employees and guests, but also delivery, the vehicle fleet and freight logistics.

The range of proven measures comprises awareness raising, the promotion of active mobility and use of public transport, carpooling, fleet management and the demand-oriented upgrading of infrastructure.⁶ The approach goes beyond spatial mobility. The choice of location, flexible work arrangements and virtual mobility schemes can also be used for this purpose.

Setting measures for sustainable tourism

The number of holiday trips in Austria is rising. We go on holiday more frequently, but our stays are shorter.⁸ 82 per cent of the trips to destinations within Austria are made by car.⁹ When it comes to ski holidays in Austria, car travel generates 42 per cent of the overall CO₂-emissions. The figure is even higher for summer holidays with 52 per cent.¹⁰ Since traffic congestion, noise, and exhaust fumes prevent tourists from enjoying their holidays, many tourist regions have offers for car-free travel to/from and within a destination area. Mobility management measures in tourism range from cooperation with public transport providers, hiking and ski buses, shuttle services, shared taxis, luggage transport, car sharing and bike rental services to awareness-raising measures and related advertising as well as the establishment of regional coordination offices and contact persons. While enhancing the options for holidaymakers, these measures often improve transport services for the regional population as well.

Independent travel to school and kindergarten

In 1995, 35 per cent of the children walked to school, which was still twice as high as the number who were driven by their parents. In 2014, they were equal at 25 per cent each. In the same period, the percentage of children aged 6 to 14 walking and cycling on weekdays dropped from 50 to 35 per cent.¹¹ In Austria, 81 per cent of 15-year-old boys are affected by a lack of exercise. For girls, the number is as high as 90 per cent.¹² Thanks to mobility management, educational institutions have the opportunity to reduce traffic in the school environment and enable children and young people to travel to kindergartens and schools independently and safely. Active travel to and from school promotes children’s health, concentration in class, and independence, while also relieving parents of taxi duties. Measures that can be taken range from mobility education in class, setting up walking bus and bike bus routes, school streets and stops for parents to drop their children off, conducting school environment analyses, and helping design school routes with the children’s involvement, to raising awareness, for example in the form of mobility days, workshops and playful incentive systems. The primary schools in Wörgl and Bad Hofgastein serve as examples of successful school mobility management. Youth centres and out-of-school youth facilities can also implement measures for independent mobility.

Mobility management can be used in a variety of ways

Mobility management makes sense wherever a lot of traffic is generated, for example in the context of shopping. Shops could offer climate-friendly delivery services as well as cargo bikes and trolleys for rent, support cycling by offering well-placed, high-quality bicycle parking facilities and repair stations and providing charging stations for electric vehicles. The Ikea store at Vienna’s Westbahnhof station is an example of how shopping is possible without a car park.

Traffic is also generated by larger-scale events. If organisers cooperate with public transport operators regarding timetables and combined tickets, arrange shuttle services, provide incentives for carpooling and actively communicate ways of car-free and climate-friendly travel to and from the venue, this may reduce the amount of traffic. To achieve this, the federal initiative “Green Events” has provided consulting services and measures in the field of mobility since 2006.¹⁴

When it comes to mobility, clubs and associations also have a social responsibility. The ice hockey club Black Wings Linz, for example, has adopted sustainability measures and is the only professional sports club in Austria to organise all home games as green events since the 2022/23 season.¹⁵

How to implement mobility management

Mobility management offers a great opportunity to break mobility routines through adapted measures and incentives. This can both reduce the traffic load and make mobility more environmentally friendly and more cost-effective. While concrete implementation strongly depends on the respective context, some general success factors for mobility management can be identified:^16,17

1. Inform: involve target groups and look out for local cooperation opportunities
   
   
2. Analyse: determine the actual state and estimate the modal shift potentials
   
   
3. Plan: set targets, define measures
   
   
4. Implement: implement and evaluate measures
   
   
5. Maintain: ensure sustainable implementation

Taking advantage of support programmes

In Austria, the klimaaktiv mobil programme supports mobility management and active mobility. Its services range from funding, target group-oriented advisory programmes for businesses, cities and municipalities, tourist regions, schools and youth organisations, to awareness raising, certifications and partnerships. In 2022, 190 projects were supported. Funding totalled 67.8 million euros. This resulted in environment-related investments of approximately 292 million euros and created or secured 2,600 jobs. In total, about 850,000 tonnes of CO₂-emissions will be avoided over the expected useful life of the implemented measures.¹⁸

Michael Schwendinger, VCÖ ‑ Mobility with a future

„Hardly any instrument for influencing daily mobility behaviour has as much potential as mobility management. And hardly any other instrument should quickly become the common standard if we want to achieve the necessary transport transition in time.“

VCÖ-Factsheet "Mobility management: a driving force for mobility transition" as PDF

The content and editorial creation of the VCÖ factsheet is done by VCÖ. The content does not necessarily reflect the opinion of the supporting institutions. This factsheet was produced with the financial support of the Federal Ministry for Climate Action, Environment, Energy, Mobility, Innovation and Technology.

Media owner, editor and publisher: VCÖ, 1050 Vienna, ZVR no. 674059554.
Publishing information: VCÖ, Bräuhausgasse 7–9, 1050 Vienna, T +43-(0)1-893 26 97, E vcoe@vcoe.at, www.vcoe.at, Photo credits: page 1: Haberkorn GmbH, page 2: Region Villach/Michael Stabentheiner, page 3: Marktgemeinde Wolfurt, page 4: VCÖ/Rita Newman

For free consultation on mobility management for businesses, leisure and tourism facilities, developers, cities, municipalities, regions, education facilities and administration, visit: www.klimaaktivmobil.at

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