The workplace travel grants form part of the Plymouth City Council's Productive Plymouth Programme for sustainable transport measures funded by the Department for Transport’s "Transforming Cities Fund (TCF)".
The TCF projects, collectively, are designed to reduce congestion, improve air quality and help the city prosper by investing in infrastructure to improve sustainable transport connectivity on key commuter routes across the Plymouth city region.
Scheme summary
£250,000 is being made available to local businesses to invest in capital schemes which help employees travel sustainably to, from and whilst at work.
As part of the Council’s Productive Plymouth Transforming Cities Fund programme, funded by the Department for Transport, the Council is providing workplace travel grants of up to £25,000 per site to local businesses to help them introduce measures to enable more trips to be made by sustainable transport.
The grants are match-funded grants with the Council investing up to £25,000, per site, in a scheme. The Council’s contribution is a maximum of 75% of the pre-VAT scheme cost.
Projects which can be funded through the grants include secure cycle parking, pool bikes, workplace shower facilities and electric vehicle charging points. However, bids aren’t limited to these ideas and the Council is keen to hear innovative proposals to tackle issues specific to a company.
2021/22 workplace travel grants
26 companies were awarded grants in 2021/22, with more than £295,000 being invested in schemes that encourage more trips to be made by sustainable transport.
£128,000 in grant funding was awarded to the businesses, matched by £168,000 from the companies themselves.
In total, since the grants were launched in 2020, 41 organisations have been awarded funding after successful applications, delivering schemes at 46 sites and providing 12980 employees with access to sustainable travel facilities.
Improved shower facilities, electric vehicle charge points and pool bikes for staff to use either to commute or for trips during the working day are just some of the measures supported by the 2021/22 grants. Successful applicants include Rame Riders, Hindhead Property Ltd, Devon and Plymouth Chamber of Commerce, YMCA Plymouth and Womble Bond Dickinson.
Details of which companies received funding and the schemes that this has helped to deliver can be found on the Successful Workplace Travel Grant applications page.
The Council are continuing to work with the successful businesses through our Plymotion at Your Workplace programme to help maximise the impact of the grants.
The Workplace travel grant scheme monitoring and evaluation reports have been produced for years 1 and 2 highlighting the beneficial impacts the scheme has delivered.
2022/23 workplace travel grants
Applications for this year’s grants are now closed.
Applications received by the closing date are currently being assessed and applicants will be informed of the outcome of their bid as soon as we are able to do so.
This is the final year that funding is available so we would like to thank everyone who has shown an interest in the scheme since its launch in October 2020.
Who is eligible to apply for the grants?
Grants are available for businesses within the Plymouth City Region.
What can the grants available through the scheme be used for?
Grants awarded through the scheme must be used for investment in capital rather than revenue projects.
Projects which can be funded through the scheme include:-
- site access improvements for walking and cycling
- improved cycle parking
- provision of shower / drying / changing facilities
- electric vehicle (EV) charge points and associated signage.
The above list is not exhaustive and we encourage applicants to be innovative in their scheme proposals.
Grant funding
A maximum of £25,000, can be awarded per site for the purpose of providing financial help towards provision of sustainable workplace travel projects.
An organisation can make multiple grant applications. However, the maximum amount awarded to a single site across all years that TCF Workplace Travel Grants are available for is £25,000.
Businesses are required to contribute a minimum of 25% of the pre-VAT scheme cost.
To benefit from financial support, employers are required to undertake site wide staff travel surveys. The first survey will need to be undertaken after confirmation of the grant being awarded and before the scheme is completed. A subsequent survey, one year after completion of the scheme, will be required to monitor changes in travel habits following the delivery of the project.
The grant must be used for sustainable workplace transport projects that help to improve accessibility to workplaces, whilst also reducing congestion, improving air quality and reducing carbon emissions.