Sustainable Travel
Under our Acting Responsibly programme, NATS people have embraced initiatives to reduce their carbon footprint in commuting to and from work.
Employee’s commuting habits are often considered ‘out of scope’ of company environmental plans. NATS takes a different approach. Since 2008 we have implemented a raft of sustainable travel measures such as car sharing, ‘salary sacrifice’ schemes for bicycles and buses, a low emission car scheme, season ticket loans, motorbike purchase scheme and increasingly flexible IT to promote connectivity away from the office.
As well as reducing emissions, saving fuel, and improving health, these schemes have helped reduce congestion and free-up valuable parking space at our main sites.
The two most popular schemes are:
Low Emissions Car Scheme
The Government’s tax rules for ‘benefit in kind’ for low emission vehicles has made the provision of a lease car via a salary sacrifice scheme a very attractive proposition to employees. It also allows employers to introduce this valuable benefit at no net cost.
Employees receive income tax and national insurance savings by making payments from their gross salary. Salary sacrifice works for low CO2 emission cars (at 120 g/km and below) because under HMRC rules, the lower the CO2 emissions the less income tax people pay on the benefit.
Under the scheme, our people have access to a brand new, fully maintained, fuel efficient lease car; do not need to pay a large deposit; secure discounted rates from NATS’ corporate purchasing power; and benefit from the income tax offset.
Not surprisingly, the scheme has been immensely popular since it launched in the spring of 2012. Around 2,500 people have registered their interest (61% of the eligible staff population), and over 350 low emission cars have been ordered to date (8.7% of the eligible population). Average CO2 emissions for cars ordered under the NATS scheme for all members in the scheme registers at 104g/km which is well below the national average for new production vehicles. The scheme’s administrator – Zenith – says it is one of the most successful schemes in the country in terms of uptake.
Cycle to Work Scheme
This salary sacrifice scheme enables employees to lease bicycles and safety equipment, saving up to 42% of the full cost. The scheme encourages people to reduce their reliance on cars, reduce their carbon footprint, and develop a healthier lifestyle. Since its launch in 2009 the Cycle to Work Scheme has helped up to 20% of NATS people to ‘get on their bikes’, making it one of the most popular in the country.
