Travel and Transport Archives

Have you tried the Co-Wheels Car Club?

By YasminFeb 26, 20250 Comments

The University offers two car hire locations where staff can rent cars for as little as 30 minutes through the Co-Wheels Car Club scheme. It’s ideal for both personal and business trips, helping to reduce the need to bring your own car to campus, while cutting down on costs and easing parking demands. To use the Co-wheels Car Club, follow these instructions: Step 1: Become a Member Sign up online to gain access to over 600 vehicles across the UK, including those located at UoR. Join the University’s business account to book cars for work and add a personal account for…

Travel and Transport

Park and Ride – FREE travel for staff and students from Mereoak (Junction 11 of the M4)

By YasminFeb 17, 20250 Comments

Do you travel from Mereoak to University? If you do, did you know that we can save you money, and reduce the number of single occupancy vehicles (SOVs) on the road, therefore reducing traffic, and urban air pollution and emissions, all at the same time. This is all possible due to Park and Ride, a free sustainable travel option from Mereoak (Junction 11 of the M4, RG7 1WJ) to either Whiteknights campus or London Road campus. Between September and December 2024, we saw approximately 2000 journeys being made using Park and Ride, and we want all staff and students to know they can…

Travel and Transport

The Whiteknight 20, A Great Success!

By YasminFeb 10, 20251 Comment

Did you know that a new bus service launched in September 2024, the Whiteknight 20! This express service, developed by Reading Buses, between Reading Town Centre and train station and Whiteknights Campus runs up to every 10 minutes, and only has a travel time of 15 minutes or less. Since launching 4 months ago, we can already see the positive impact the Whiteknight 20 has had during Semester 1. Bus usage has increased by approximately 10% (compared to the 21/21a last year), and punctuality has increased from being on time 64%-81% of the time to being on time between 85%…

Travel and Transport

University of Reading decarbonisation plan: winning the Energy Management Award (EMA) for its Business Travel Carbon Budgets

By jackiesimpsonDec 18, 20240 Comments

We’re delighted to announce that the University of Reading has been recognised for its ambitious business travel carbon budgets project that aimed to encourage schools and directorates cut their carbon emissions. The University has long made sustainability a central priority. As part of its strategic plan 2020-2026, the University of Reading is committed to ambitious environmental targets, including achieving Net Zero Carbon emissions by 2030. One of the key components of this plan was to address the carbon emissions resulting from business travel. The University acknowledged that the business travel is an area often overlooked despite the significant impact on…

Awards and Achievements, Energy and Water, Travel and Transport

Library bike store security upgrade

By jackiesimpsonOct 31, 20240 Comments

Cycle theft is a significant concern on many campuses across the UK, and the University of Reading is no exception. To address this issue, we are committed to enhancing available infrastructure as part of an important project, with the purpose of improving cycle security across Whiteknights Campus. As part of our University Travel Plan, we want to encourage staff, students, and visitors to travel sustainably, ensuring everyone feels confident cycling to campus and knowing their bikes will be stored securely. Currently, we offer 4,239 cycle parking spaces throughout campus, including five secure bicycle sheds at Whiteknights and additional secure storage…

Travel and Transport

Brand new University bus service!

By jackiesimpsonAug 22, 20240 Comments

We are pleased to announce the launch of a new bus service coming to Whiteknights campus from 21st September! The White Knight 20, developed by Reading Buses, has been tailored to University life and will provide an express service between Reading Town Centre and train station and campus during term time. The White Knight 20 will run up to every 10 minutes during term time peak periods with a travel time of 15 minutes or less between campus and the station. During the first half of Semester 1 (until October half term) the service will be enhanced, running up to…

Travel and Transport

We have a new 5 year Travel Plan!

By jackiesimpsonJul 24, 20240 Comments

The University has now published its new five-year Travel Plan (2024-2029) What is a Travel Plan? A Travel Plan is a document that outlines the University’s commitments to changing travel behaviour by staff, students and visitors over the next five years. Why do we need one? The way we travel affects, and is affected by, our day-to-day lives. Whilst we understand the environmental and congestion related impacts of polluting forms of transport, our choices are often dictated by personal circumstance. It is vital that a plan is in place to manage the way that travel can be: As sustainable as…

Travel and Transport

Student results from 2024 Travel Survey

By jackiesimpsonMay 22, 20240 Comments

Thank you to all 500+ of you who completed our 2024 Travel Survey, and congratulations again to the winners of our prize draw, who in total received £500 of supermarket vouchers! We had some great results this year. Importantly, the survey showed that our students are already travelling sustainably wherever possible, with an average of 90.5% of journeys to and from campus already made by sustainable modes (including walking, cycling and public transport). You can read the full results here. The survey gave the opportunity for our students to have their say on potential future improvements to sustainable travel. We…

Travel and Transport

The results are in from our 2024 Staff Travel Survey

By jackiesimpsonMay 20, 20240 Comments

Thank you to all of you who completed our 2024 Travel Survey, and congratulations again to the winners of our prize draw, who in total received £500 of supermarket vouchers! We had a great response rate this year from staff, with over 1,200 responses (over 30% response rate) which is the highest since 2014. You can read the full results here. The way we conducted our staff survey changed this year to include much more information on working patterns, which have changed significantly since the COVID-19 pandemic and impact greatly on the way we travel. For example, the survey showed…

Travel and Transport

University P&R grows in popularity

By jackiesimpsonApr 15, 20240 Comments

The free University Park & Ride from Mereoak (Junction 11 M4) is becoming increasingly popular, with an average of 545 journeys made per month in the Autumn 2023, compared with just 14 journeys per month in Autumn 2022. This huge increase is great news as it is saving staff and students money, reducing congestion and air pollution. The service was introduced in September 2022 as a trial, with the offer extended to students in January 2023. The service is now well established and allows people to get to Whiteknights and London Road swiftly and without stress. The service runs from…

Travel and Transport