Companies on the move: Jojob’s Observatory for Mobility Managers

Publication date: September 2024

Italian cities continue to struggle with high levels of air pollution: from North to South, they still show considerable delays compared to the stricter targets proposed by the revision of the European Air Quality Directive, which will come into force in 2030 (20 µg/m³ for PM10, 10 µg/m³ for PM2.5, and 20 µg/m³ for NO₂). According to Legambiente¹, if we were already in 2030, 69% of Italian cities would not comply with the PM10 limits. As for PM2.5, 84% of the cities analyzed would exceed the future limits. NO₂ is the only pollutant that has decreased in the last five years, yet 50% of cities would still remain above the allowed limits. Responsible for about 25% of Italy’s total CO₂ emissions, according to ISPRA² (Italian Institute for Environmental Protection and Research), is the transport sector. Contributing to this are – among others – commuters who travel daily by car from home to work. According to the latest available Istat data³, approximately 20.5 million people travel every day in Italy for work: in 70.7% of cases, the car is the means of transport used for the home-to-work commute. This choice has a significant impact on quality of life and environmental well-being. ¹ Source: Legambiente, Mal’Aria 2024 ² Source: ISPRA ³ Source: Istat

The Mobility Manager and corporate carpooling

In this context, the Mobility Manager plays a crucial role for companies. Introduced by Italian legislation, this professional is responsible for planning and managing corporate mobility and is tasked with developing solutions that reduce the environmental impact of employees’ home-to-work commuting while simultaneously enhancing worker well-being. Among the most effective and easily applicable solutions promoted by Mobility Managers is corporate carpooling: using already active technologies and without requiring new infrastructure, corporate carpooling involves sharing cars among colleagues traveling the same route, reducing the number of vehicles on the road and, consequently, CO₂ emissions. This also translates into benefits for employees: workers can save on fuel costs and reduce traffic-related stress, improving their overall well-being. Corporate carpooling is indeed a solution that can integrate with public transport for those who need to commute daily on home-to-work routes, especially over long distances and to reach company facilities, particularly if they are located outside urban areas.

Corporate carpooling in Italy: Jojob’s Companies on the Move Observatory

Many virtuous companies in Italy have already chosen to promote corporate carpooling: taking stock is Jojob Real Time Carpooling in its “Companies on the Move” Observatory. Thanks to Jojob’s platform and app, company mobility managers can promote and encourage the use of shared, low-impact transportation by certifying home-to-work carpool trips. Employees of companies participating in Jojob can post and make their commuting routes available, find compatible drivers and passengers, such as colleagues or employees of nearby companies. They can also quantify their contribution to the environment in terms of reduced environmental impact, economic savings, and receive dedicated recognition and rewards. To date, 2,926 company locations in Italy and 177,637 employees are involved in the corporate carpooling service offered by Jojob. The numbers for car sharing within companies are particularly noteworthy: in the first half of 2024, commuters who traveled to work with colleagues saved 4,249,935 km, thanks to 290,256 certified carpool trips, corresponding to over 166,000 cars removed from the road. In this way, workers contributed to reducing traffic as well as cutting emissions, with 553,516 kg of CO₂ less in the atmosphere. This also resulted in significant economic savings: using carpooling, passengers and drivers saved a total of €845,660 in the first half of the year. The data are remarkable: considering only Jojob company carpooling, the first six months of 2024 saw a record growth compared to the same period in 2023, when there were 186,637 certified trips (+60.5% in 2024) and €486,951 saved (+85.6%).

Companies that choose corporate carpooling

Jojob’s Companies on the Move Observatory provides an overview of the companies that choose to implement this sustainable mobility solution.

Corporate carpooling is popular among SMEs

Looking at company size, it emerges that car sharing among colleagues is a solution widely adopted especially by medium and large companies, which see this practice as an opportunity to reduce costs and improve the quality of work life: company locations with 100 to 250 employees represent 47.9% of the total. Next are companies with 250 to 500 employees at their locations, which account for 24.8% of the total, demonstrating that they recognize the benefits of carpooling both in terms of reducing environmental impact and as a tool to enhance employee well-being.

The remaining 27.3% of the total is represented by companies with locations of over 500 employees. Specifically, 13.7% consists of sites with 500–1,000 workers, and another 13.7% comes from those with more than 1,000 employees. There are also locations with over 2,000 employees (2.9%), demonstrating growing attention to sustainability practices even in the most complex corporate realities. A very large number, nearly 900, are also small-sized locations, typically represented by bank branches and retail stores.

The sector in which companies promoting carpooling operate

Regarding the sectors in which companies choose corporate carpooling, the metalworking sector dominates by number of employees, which, while representing only 6.1% of locations, accounts for the highest employee participation, namely 24.06% of the total. Metalworking companies are generally located in suburban areas and are not always easily accessible by public transport, so carpooling provides an important alternative for all employees. Companies in the banking sector also choose shared mobility with Jojob, with 16.9% of employees, followed by the food sector (11.3% of employees) and logistics (10%).

The most “shared” sectors

Looking at usage data, Jojob’s corporate carpooling service is particularly appreciated by employees in the metalworking sector, who in the first half of 2024 recorded 58,607 shared trips (20.2% of the total), resulting in a total savings of €214,670 and 140,081 kg of CO₂ avoided. Second for shared trips is the logistics sector: 50,834 trips, corresponding to 113,442 kg of CO₂ avoided and a total employee savings of €173,521. Companies in the luxury sector, by promoting carpooling with Jojob, enabled employees to share 32,751 trips, saving a total of €73,647 and avoiding 47,988 kg of CO₂. Employees in the chemical and food sectors also showed great enthusiasm, with 23,459 and 18,519 shared trips, respectively. Interestingly, the food sector achieves a higher economic saving (€58,123) thanks to 292,072 km saved due to longer average home-to-work distances, compared to 212,870 km in the chemical sector, resulting in €27,673 retained by employees. In the second half of the Top 10 of Jojob’s Companies on the Move Observatory appear automotive (17,771 trips), banking (15,354 trips), which benefits from widespread presence due to the distribution of its locations, and utilities (12,876 trips). Closing the Top 10 are companies operating in consumer goods and services (10,516 shared trips) and education (9,839 trips).

Where companies do the most carpooling

Jojob’s analysis also maps the regional distribution of company locations adopting carpooling in Italy, highlighting the most active regions and those still developing this mode of commuting.

Lombardy is the leading region for active corporate carpooling locations

Looking at the number of active locations, Lombardy stands out as the leading region: it hosts 18.3% of the locations where carpooling is active, reflecting a highly developed entrepreneurial and financial fabric and the need for sustainable mobility solutions that reduce both environmental and economic impact for commuters. Next is Emilia-Romagna, another region with a strong industrial and manufacturing tradition, accounting for 16.7% of national locations. Third place goes to Lazio, with 8.7% of locations, a figure influenced by the presence of the capital, Rome, with its numerous companies and institutions, and by the lack of efficient urban and suburban transport options that allow for quick commuting. Outside the “podium” are Veneto (7.5%) and Campania (6.4%), both regions with a significant industrial and commercial presence. Jojob’s Top 10 also includes Piedmont (6.3%) and Tuscany (4.6%, 134 locations), followed by Marche (4.57%, 134 locations), Abruzzo (4.4%) and Trentino-Alto Adige (4.2%). It is interesting to note that Piedmont, while not on the podium for the number of active companies, is heavily investing in corporate carpooling, as shown by the exceptional results achieved in 2023 and reported in the National Observatory on Corporate Carpooling: last year, the region recorded the highest number of shared trips (116,079), with the province of Turin confirmed as the most receptive, accounting for 61,098 shared trips.

Employee engagement: Lombardy, Emilia-Romagna, and Piedmont on the podium

Even considering the number of employees involved in corporate carpooling by companies, Lombardy ranks first with 17.1% of the total, confirming the region’s focus on adopting carpooling, supported by its industrial and commercial density. Emilia-Romagna closely follows, with 16.6% of employees, along with Piedmont, which records 16.1% employee engagement. Lazio ranks fourth with 10.1% of workers, alongside Veneto (8.9%), showing that carpooling is considered an important tool to optimize costs and improve work-life quality. Other regions with notable employee participation are Tuscany (5.1%) and Liguria (4.5%). Closing Jojob’s Top 10 in this case are Friuli Venezia Giulia (2.8%), Abruzzo (2.4%), Puglia (2.3%), and Trentino-Alto Adige (2.3%), demonstrating company commitment while still showing significant growth potential.

Companies and Carpooling: the Most “Shared” Provinces

The analysis of the distribution of company sites adopting carpooling across different Italian provinces highlights the geographic areas most active in this sustainable mobility practice. Rome is the leading province with 7.6% of the total, reflecting the importance of the Capital, which hosts numerous companies including its surrounding areas and institutions. Brescia ranks second with 4.3%, while Trento holds third place with 4.1% of the sites. Following closely are Modena (4.1%) and Milan (4%). The province of Naples, with 3.31% of sites, also shows notable participation in carpooling, offering a solution to reduce heavy traffic. Next are Bergamo (3.2%), Bologna (90 sites, 3.07%), and Turin (86 sites, 2.93%), industrial and university centers where sustainable mobility is particularly relevant. Varese, with 2.6% of sites, closes the provincial Top 10.

The Corporate Carpooler Profile: How and Why People Share Cars

Within the Companies in Motion Observatory, Jojob has also outlined a “profile” of employees who use carpooling, to understand why they participate and how they share their private cars for commuting. Consisting of a smartphone app, Jojob Real Time Carpooling allows users to see colleagues or employees from nearby companies who are on the same route or close to a common starting point and organize quickly. For each trip taken, an exact calculation of CO₂ saved is provided, and in some cases, company incentives are available to reward employees’ demonstrated sustainability. Additionally, carpoolers can share travel costs directly through the app, ensuring drivers receive a guaranteed contribution toward travel expenses.

Economic savings is the main motivator, with 6 out of 10 employees (61.4%) stating they use carpooling to offset and share costs related to fuel, tolls, and any paid parking. 15.4% cite reducing their environmental impact as their reason. The remaining 12.1% is split between those who choose corporate carpooling to socialize and travel in company (6.5%) and those who have no alternative transport options (5.6%). From an economic perspective, 64% of carpoolers report “sharing” expenses by taking turns using their cars, while 13.5% take advantage of the transaction managed by the Jojob app to reimburse the driver for expenses incurred. Another 14% state that the driver does not request any contribution, while in 8.5% of cases, carpoolers have agreed on a daily or periodic compensation for the driver. Interestingly, those who try carpooling rarely give it up: over half of employees (53%) report sharing their car an average of 5 days per week; one fifth (18.2%) share the commute 4 days a week on average, and 15.9% for 3 days.

The Mobility Manager and Carpooling: a Challenge with Great Potential

Developing a transport network based on **carpooling** offers numerous advantages for companies: in addition to ensuring significant economic savings for employees and increasing their purchasing power, it makes **company sites more accessible**, especially in areas poorly served by public transport, thus compensating for infrastructure gaps in some parts of the country. Another benefit is the reduction of the environmental impact of commuting, with the ability to **measure results in line with the 2030 Agenda** (Scope 3). Carpooling also reduces the need for parking, freeing up public and private spaces for other uses, and allows companies to comply with the PSCL regulations through concrete action. To achieve meaningful results with carpooling, **a company site must have a sufficient number of employees** to create the necessary critical mass (typically over 100–150 employees, or by activating the service **together with nearby companies to create an SME network**). Additionally, the **rate of private car use** for commuting should be **above 50%**, with at least three days of on-site presence per week. To implement an effective carpooling service, **about 30–40 days are needed to design and launch the campaign**, with the support of the provider. After the first 60 days, it is realistic to involve at least 10% of the workforce, with a percentage that can grow to 20–25% after six months and exceed 30% after one year. A carpooling project certainly requires **a cultural shift within the workforce and must have a minimum annual duration**, with an effectiveness assessment over at least three years. In this process, the role of the Mobility Manager is crucial: they facilitate relations between the service provider and the communication office for the launch campaign, monitor results, and collaborate with the provider’s team to encourage service use. During the PSCL drafting phase, they also use the data provided to report on the intervention’s impact.

Companies that adopt sustainable mobility

Stay up to date!
Check out the Jojob Observatories archive.