SUSTAINABLE COMMUTING PLATFORM
The Sustainable Commuting Platform was developed with a dual objective focused on commuting in Gipuzkoa: (1) to reduce CO₂ emissions and (2) to ensure compliance with the Sustainable Mobility Law of the Basque Country, which promotes a more environmentally friendly and efficient transportation system, particularly for daily work-related travel. These challenges stem from a combination of geographical and urban planning factors. On one hand, the polycentric layout of Gipuzkoa and its mountainous terrain have made it difficult to establish a comprehensive and integrated public transportation network. On the other hand, land use patterns—specifically the location of industrial zones—exacerbate the problem. These zones are often situated on the outskirts, far from urban centers, and typically lack direct or sufficient public transport connections. Consequently, many workers have no viable alternative but to rely on private vehicles for their daily commutes.
Transportation is, by far, the largest contributor to CO2 emissions in the Gipuzkoa region, accounting for approximately 50% of the total CO2-eq, surpassing Industry and Energy. Commuting by car, in particular, represents the biggest portion of this contribution.
All companies over 100 employees MUST implement a Sustainable Mobility Plan.
Commuting accounts for over 55% of transportation CO₂ emissions.
The Basque Labour Mobility Law, more formally known as the Sustainable Mobility Law of the Basque Country (Law 11/2023), aims to promote a more environmentally friendly and efficient transportation system, particularly for workers traveling to and from their jobs. This law emphasizes the use of sustainable transport options like public transport, cycling, and walking, while also reducing reliance on private vehicles. This Law states that companies with more than 100 workers have to design and implement a Mobility Plan for their employees.
The Sustainable Commuting Platform has been developed as a modular tool designed to support companies—and clusters of companies—in their transition toward greener commuting practices for employees. Its primary function is to facilitate the creation of alternative transportation scenarios and to visualize the environmental impact of each proposed intervention. To enhance its analytical capabilities, the platform incorporates a machine learning algorithm that predicts employees' likely modes of transportation based on the available transport network. It then calculates the total CO₂ emissions associated with each scenario, enabling data-driven decision-making to support sustainable mobility planning.
The Sustainable Commuting Platform (SCP) is a tool that enables companies and institutions to design, test, and iteratively improve their Mobility Plan by quantifying the impact of various interventions. The tool leverages advanced Machine Learning models and optimization algorithms to simulate the effects of mobility-focused interventions and measure several CO2-related indicators, which are decomposed into their primary contributions and visualized on a geographic map. Users can thus identify the sources of emissions and compare the results of different simulated scenarios.
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Companies upload data on their employees. The data required includes origin of the employees’ trips and some sociodemographics to infer travel behaviors.
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Run the Machine Learning–based Mode Choice Modeling algorithm to predict the mode of transportation each employee is likely to use under the current scenario—without any changes to the existing transportation system or employees' work–residence patterns.
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To reduce current CO₂ emission levels, the platform enables the implementation of a range of targeted interventions. These include: (1) designing company-specific bus systems, supported by a bus stop location assistant and route recommender; (2) introducing flexible remote-working policies at varying levels of intensity; (3) promoting the electrification of both private vehicle and company bus fleets; and (4) establishing co-working hubs to provide employees with alternative office locations closer to home. Each of these measures can be modeled and assessed within the platform to estimate their potential environmental impact and operational feasibility.
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Interpret and evaluate the CO₂ emissions resulting from the proposed interventions in order to recalibrate your strategy—adjusting elements such as bus stop locations or the number of remote-working days—to better align with your sustainability objectives.
The Platform has been developed in such a manner that it is interactive, visual and intuitive for company representatives to use. The interface enables easy interaction and friendly intervention policymaking.