Agora Study on Commuting: Alternatives to Cars Instead of Fuel Discounts

The Berlin-based think tank Agora Verkehrswende sees the ongoing debate about rising fuel prices and the reorganization of the commuting allowance as an opportunity to generally restructure commuter traffic in Germany and lead it away from dependence on oil. According to a new study by the think tank, the German government must first reset the framework conditions with several measures. This ranges from a right to home office to better planning and financing of transportation infrastructure. On this basis, municipalities could design commuter traffic more fairly and in a more climate-friendly manner if the federal government grants them the legal leeway to do so. It is important not only to strengthen alternatives to the car but also to dismantle outdated privileges of car traffic.

Mobility money goes in the right direction

At the end of February, the federal government already decided on a reorganization of the commuting allowance in a first relief package, which aims to better consider the ecological and social aspects of mobility. The basic idea discussed among the governing parties to introduce mobility money, according to Agora Verkehrswende, goes in the right direction as it mainly benefits households with lower incomes.

For Christian Hochfeld, director of Agora Verkehrswende, however, the reorganization of the so-called commuting allowance can only be a first step.

"Commuters do not always need new financial relief from politicians, but a plan for how they can get to work in a climate-friendly way in the future. For decades, politics has provided incentives to accept ever longer commutes and to travel primarily alone by private car," says Hochfeld.

The current crisis shows that this not only imposes high ecological costs on society but also brings security risks and drives people into the oil price trap. Therefore, the federal government should use the reorganization of the commuting allowance as an entry point into a comprehensive reform of commuter traffic, demands the Agora chief.

From home office to infrastructure: six measures

The study, conducted by the ILS - Institute for Regional and Urban Development Research on behalf of Agora Verkehrswende, provides an overview of how the federal and municipal governments can redesign commuter traffic in Germany. For federal policy, the study highlights six measures:

• the realignment of road traffic law to goals such as safety and climate protection, so that municipalities, for example, can more easily impose speed limits of 30 km/h and charge parking fees;
• the introduction of a cost-based road usage fee to ensure the maintenance of roads and finance climate-neutral mobility;
• greater involvement of employers in the sustainable design of work-related traffic, such as through a right to home office;
• shifting the vehicle tax to the moment of initial registration, combined with consistent differentiation according to CO₂ emissions, to provide stronger incentives for purchasing low-emission vehicles;
• a clear signal for the phase-out of combustion vehicles by 2035, primarily through much stricter CO₂ fleet limits from 2025;
• promoting research for environmentally compatible commuter traffic, for example in the form of scientifically accompanied practical tests.

Bundling local forces in regional networks

For municipalities, commuter traffic represents a particular challenge because the regional interrelations and planning requirements are complex. The study therefore recommends that municipalities join regional networks along the main commuter routes between cities and suburban areas.

The measures that municipalities can take, according to the study, include expanding public transportation infrastructure, especially outside cities, tailoring fare models in cooperation with employers, improving conditions for fast cycling, and strengthening mobility management in municipalities and businesses. At the same time, car traffic privileges need to be dismantled so that progress in shifting traffic is not undone by new car traffic. Suitable measures include 30 km/h as the standard speed limit, charges for using parking spaces, and exclusive lanes for express buses on main roads.

"With our study, we show what municipalities can do to make commuter traffic more compatible with people and the environment," explains Philipp Kosok, project manager at Agora Verkehrswende.

So far, no region fully uses the toolkit. Individual measures quickly lose effect, especially if they end at the boundary of an area. If municipalities in commuter regions pool their personnel, knowledge, and finances, they can ensure significant improvements, Kosok is convinced.

"From the federal government, they need more decision-making freedom to shape the mobility transition on the ground. National guidelines for creating commuter traffic concepts in particularly affected regions and the hiring of mobility officers from a certain municipality size would also be sensible," the expert for commuter traffic appeals.

Doubling of commuting distances since 1976 - almost always solo operation

Commuting to work accounts for about one-fifth of passenger traffic in Germany. Since 1976, average distances in work-related traffic have almost doubled, from just over 8 to 16 kilometers. The number of people not working in the municipality where they live was more than 30 percent higher in 2020 than in 2000, at 19.6 million. The share of car usage is particularly high. In the pandemic year 2020, 68 percent of commuters chose the car. That's five percentage points more than the previous year. They almost always drive alone. On average, there are only 1.075 people per vehicle.