Invesco

 

Major Henley employer Invesco has a travel plan in place for its site at Perpetual Park. The objectives are to reduce the number of vehicles coming onto site and to minimise the impact that travel has on the environment. The plan covers three main areas: car sharing, bus service, and cycling.

 

It forms part of Invesco’s environment management system and the objectives are in line with Invesco’s overall strategy of minimising the impact its business has on the environment. The plan adheres to local authority guidelines and Invesco says: “as the biggest company in Henley-on-Thames we are proud to play our part in minimising traffic levels and emissions. In addition, an effective travel plan allows the company to maximise efficiency in terms of space and car park management.”

 

Car sharing has been the most effective part of the plan and has brought significant results since its inception. The Invesco scheme has formally been in place since the beginning of 2006, when it began to incentivise car sharing for all staff working on site. Two out of every five are currently registered to share and this has seen a 10 per cent reduction in cars parked on site over the past two years. It has meant a saving of nearly 150,000 road miles and more than 40 tonnes of CO2 emissions.

 

Invesco provides a fully subsidised private hire bus service for all staff, visitors and clients, which runs scheduled buses between Reading Station and Perpetual Park in the peak morning and afternoon periods. The service not only encourages staff living in and around Reading to leave their car at home, but also gives visitors and clients travelling via Reading the chance to be as environmentally aware and move away from taking a taxi or making a car journey.

 

A new service provider was brought in to take over from the beginning of March, after its environmental contribution was noted at another site and recommended to Invesco. The new provider uses biodiesel, meaning a 60 per cent saving in CO2 emissions, equating to roughly 47 tonnes being saved per annum.

 

Invesco also incentivises cycling to work, which is proving increasingly popular. There is a covered bicycle shed on site and a small number of company-owned cycles available for hire, as well as the necessary kit of helmet and high-visibility clothing. Staff can hire a cycle at any time, for any reason, such as going into town at lunchtime, or simply to keep fit.