Our staff commuting profile

In 2025, staff commuting was included in the University’s carbon profile monitoring for the first time. To support this, staff were invited to complete a brief survey about their weekly commuting habits.

The survey asked staff to report:

• How many days per week they commuted to campus and worked from home (out of five)
• Their estimated commute distance (with options ranging from less than 2km to more than 200km)
• Their main mode of transport

For those who commuted by car or van, the mode options captured whether the trip involved multiple destinations, carpooling, or solo travel. A follow-up question also asked about fuel type.

A total of 1,615 staff members responded to the survey, representing 10.54% of the University staff cohort. To assess how representative the sample was, a Chi-Square Goodness-of-Fit test compared reported commute distances with expected distances based on 2024 staff residential address data.

The results indicated that staff living within 20km of the University were underrepresented, while those living farther away were overrepresented. This suggests that people living closer to the University may be less inclined to participate in commuting surveys, with those living further away more inclined to participate. It is also reasonable to consider that staff more engaged with the net zero carbon commitments of the university may be more interested in taking part. 

Commuting and working from home

• The median number of commuting days per week was four, with a mean of 3.81 days.
• The median number of days working from home was one, with a mean of 1.31 days.

Transport modes

Among respondents:

• Public transport was the most common mode (46%)
• Car travel followed (32%)
• Micromobility (bike, e-bike, e-scooter) accounted for 11%
• Walking made up 9%
• Motorcycles and other modes were less common (2% and 1%, respectively)

Transport modes by commute distance

• Under 2km: Mostly walking (90%)
• 2–4.9km: Mixed modes – public transport (35%), walking (24%), micromobility (23%), car (16%) 
• 5–9.9km: Public transport (49%), car (26%), micromobility (21%), motorcycle (2%)
• 10–19.9km: Public transport (50%), car (39%), micromobility (8%), motorcycle (2%)
• 20–29.9km: Public transport (48%), car (46%), motorcycle (2%)
• 30–100km: Public transport and car remained dominant, with public transport usage decreasing as distance increased. 

Staff comments

Over 600 respondents provided comments in the optional comment box. These included more nuanced explanations of personal commuting patterns and decision-making around mode choices, commentary on public transport in Auckland, and feedback on the University's facilities.

In general, respondents appeared to be advocates for public and active transport. Many made suggestions for more affordable and accessible public transport options. A few respondents praised the University's end-of-trip facilities for active modes, while a few others suggested we need more of these.   

• Public transport is the dominant travel mode for distances between 2km and 50km
• Walking is the dominant mode for distances under 2km
• Commutes over 50km are the most likely to be taken by cars
• There are many factors affecting travel mode choices
• Many staff would value more support and options for sustainable commuting modes

A series of calculations were performed using the survey data to estimate the annual carbon footprint of staff commuting.

• The total kilometres travelled for each transport mode were calculated, based on the estimated round-trip distance and the number of commuting days reported by staff using that mode.
• These totals were then extrapolated to represent the full-time equivalent staff population, using 209 typical working days per year to estimate annual travel distances for each mode.
• Greenhouse gas emissions were estimated for each mode, based on emission factors provided by the Ministry for the Environment.
  

The table below shows the estimated annual travelled kilometres and emissions for each mode.

The staff commuting survey will be repeated annually as part of the University's carbon monitoring.  Should staff wish to further explore the quantitative data, they can log into our commuting dashboard.