How can businesses make lower-carbon commuting easier for their people – without making it complicated?
In this practical webinar, we look at the benefits of smarter commuting for businesses, employees and the environment, and share some of what we’ve learned through the first year of Swap One in Nelson Tasman.
We cover the what, why and how of encouraging behaviour change, with practical tools, local examples and ideas workplaces can put into action – from supporting people to walk, bike or bus, to creating a workplace culture that makes trying something different feel achievable.
Watch the webinar above, or read on for some of the key takeaways, our Year One results and what’s coming next for Swap One.
Year One Results
In the first year of our Swap One initiative, our participants:
- Swapped more than 14,000 trips
- Travelled 110,000 kilometres by lower-carbon transport
- Avoided an estimated 25 tonnes of emissions
Cycling was the most popular alternative in both Nelson and Tasman, while walking accounted for 13–14% of swapped trips.
The eBus was also a suggested alternative, and if you aren’t familiar with the bus,
there are a few things you may find useful to know.
- Nelson Tasman’s urban eBus routes run every 30 minutes between 7am and 7pm.
- Because the two Nelson–Richmond services are staggered, there is effectively a bus every 15 minutes between the two centres.
- You can track your bus live, carry a bike on the rack at the front, or take a folded bike or scooter onboard. Bee Card users can also transfer between services twice, provided each trip is completed within an hour and the whole journey within two hours. You can find routes, fares and live tracking at eBus.
A reminder, too, that Swap One records journeys genuinely swapped. If you already cycle to work every day, choose another trip – such as going to the shops or visiting friends – that you would otherwise have made by car.
Changes for year two
This year we’re making Swap One more inclusive, more competitive and more useful for workplaces:
- All low-carbon trips count. Already bike, walk, bus, carpool or travel by EV? You can log those trips too – Swap One is now about celebrating existing low-carbon travellers as well as encouraging people to make their first swap.
- Business leaderboards. Monthly leaderboards will show how participating small, medium and large workplaces are tracking, while individual dashboards will show users where their workplace sits.
- More workplace insights. Participating businesses that opt in will receive monthly employee Swap One data, helping them recognise achievements, encourage friendly competition and track their collective impact. Users can opt out of sharing their data with their employer.
- Swap One Champions. We’re looking for experienced low-carbon commuters to become the go-to person in their workplace – helping with routes, being a bike buddy or simply encouraging someone to make their first swap.
- More support. We’ll continue offering workplace resources and commute clinics, and our refreshed Business Toolkit makes it easier for organisations to get their teams involved.
Travelling by active transport is safer this year too. New Government-led road-safety changes are expected to take effect before the end of 2026, including a 1.5m passing rule for cyclists and other vulnerable road users, children aged 12 and under being able to cycle on footpaths with an older rider, e-scooters being permitted in cycle lanes, and drivers giving way to buses leaving stops on roads with speed limits of 60km/h or less.
Launch event for year two
Building on the success of year one, we are now planning a year two launch for Thurs 24 Sept – Swap One Low-Carbon Commute Breakfast: Come Bright!
We’ll be able to tell you more about our plans for year two then.