More than half (53%) of workers who drive for business in the UK, France, Germany and Spain would like employers to make it easier for them to use a mix of transport for business trips.

Only a fifth (21%) of employees who drive for work have used multi-modal transport for business purposes

The new research – published by Enterprise Rent-A-Car – also reveals that 88% of respondents think they and/or their employers should be incentivised to encourage so-called multi-modal journeys, with tax breaks or similar rewards.

More than a third (34%) say they are already making multi-modal journeys for leisure travel on a domestic basis. But only 21% have used multi-modal transport for work, indicating there is an opportunity for companies to adopt more multi-modal options to satisfy employee travel needs.

But more than half of those surveyed (56%) say their companies don’t currently encourage – or don’t know if they encourage – multi-modal travel, with most relying on employees to use their personal car for work trips (79%).

On average, workers can only make a quarter (26%) of their business journeys by public transport alone.

When asked why they had used multi-modal journeys, respondents said because they were less expensive (31%), fast (27%), relaxing (18%), more environmentally friendly (21%) and safe (19%).

Younger ‘Generation Z’ workers, born between 1996 and 2015, are especially keen on multi-modal travel: almost nine in 10 (88%) of such employees had made a multi-modal journey in the last 12 months either for leisure or work domestically or abroad, compared with only 61% of ‘Baby Boomers’ (those born before 1964).

Delving in deeper, Gen Z are keener to avoid using their own car for a business trip (61%), compared to 50% of Baby Boomers.

When it comes to travelling for work, on average 55% of all business trips are taken in a private car, and the majority of those surveyed (79%) said they use their own car for at least some of their business trips every year.

Oz Choudhri, head of mobility solutions at Enterprise, said: “The private car still has a role to play in business travel, but there is an opportunity to increase multi-modal journeys, as today nearly six out of ten work trips are being made in private cars.

“Companies may be missing out on opportunities to reduce costs, risk and environmental impact while improving employee retention by giving more flexible, accessible and affordable mobility options.”

The research also showed that rental car and car clubs are a key player in multi-modal business travel.

Those surveyed said that, on average, seven out of ten (70%) of their business journeys were not possible by public transport alone.

Choudhri added: “This new research highlights that there is now a great opportunity for the establishment and growth of the shared mobility ecosystem. This could result in the creation of even more multi-modal mobility hubs, where workers are able to pick up a car when and where they need one, whilst using other modes of transport as part of the same trip.”

Around a quarter (23%) of respondents said they lived within easy walking distance of a car rental branch and even more (27%) within easy walking distance to a car club vehicle, suggesting that some form of multi-modal journey involving rental may be possible for millions of office workers.

“We’ve integrated our network of locations and vehicles into the wider private and public transport ecosystem, with the ambition to be part of mobility solutions that meet the needs of business travellers today and tomorrow,” added Choudhri.