Around 14,700 students and 3,600 staff members commute regularly to and from the ZHAW: on foot, by bicycle, by train or by car. The ZHAW has made a conscious decision to locate its infrastructure as close as possible to public transport links and has been systematically collecting commuting data since 2022, making visible what would otherwise remain hidden.
Cars dominate the emissions inventory
At first glance, the picture for employees appears straightforward: most people commuting to the ZHAW use public transport. The proportion of people commuting by car stands at less than 10%, well below the Swiss average. The emissions inventory tells a different story.
Of the total of approximately 846 tonnes of CO₂ equivalent generated by staff commuting in 2024, 586 tonnes (69%) were attributable to cars. Despite accounting for a significantly higher proportion of journeys, public transport was responsible for just 224 tonnes (27%), while bicycles and other modes of transport together accounted for just 36 tonnes. This is because a car’s CO₂-eq emissions per passenger kilometre are significantly higher than those of most public transport options, bicycles or e-bikes.
Andrea Del Duce
Lecturer and Senior Researcher in Sustainable Mobility
“The majority of people commuting to the ZHAW do so by public transport because the university’s campuses are well connected. Nevertheless, the remaining share of car use is the most important lever for further reducing the ZHAW’s CO₂ emissions. We need a better understanding of the mobility challenges faced by car commuters, as well as co-creative approaches that establish the right conditions for further reducing car use at the ZHAW.”
Employee commuting emissions in 2024
69% of these emissions originated from car travel
Student commuting emissions in 2024
53% of these emissions originated from car travel
A similar pattern among students
Among students, the difference is less pronounced, but the underlying pattern remains the same.
Some 1,841 tonnes of CO₂ equivalent (53%) of student commuting emissions came from cars, while 1,310 tonnes (43%) originated from public transport. Here too, the proportion of emissions attributable to cars is higher than one might expect given their share of the distance travelled.
Eine Hochrechnung ist keine Vollerhebung
Im Vergleich zu 2022 konnte in 2024 eine Reduktion der CO2-Emissionen beobachtet werden. Ob sich ein rückläufiger Trend bestätigt, wird die kommende Erhebung in 2026 zeigen. Hierzu ist auch zu beachten, wie diese Zahlen entstehen: Die Mobilitätserhebung basiert auf einer Umfrage, die auf die gesamte Hochschulcommunity hochgerechnet wird – nicht auf einer Vollerhebung aller Wege. Das bedeutet eine gewisse Unschärfe, die bei der Einordnung der Trends mitgedacht werden muss.
Sustainable commuting is possible,
if the conditions are right
ZHAW researcher Andrea Del Duce has been working on sustainable mobility for many years and coordinates the ZHAW mobility survey, which is conducted jointly by the Institute of Sustainable Development and the Institute for Data Science. His research into active mobility, shared mobility schemes and the use of public transport shows that sustainable mobility is achievable if the right conditions are in place. These include well-developed cycle routes or public transport services that are readily available, easily accessible and run at regular intervals.
For some car commuters, however, switching to cycling or public transport is likely to remain difficult for the time being, whether because the journey is too long, suitable connections are lacking, or service frequencies do not fit their daily routines. This is precisely where the real challenge lies: the more targeted the expansion of cycle routes, public transport links and bike-sharing schemes is in areas where the car remains the only practical option today, the more journeys can be shifted to sustainable alternatives.
By systematically collecting data since 2022, the ZHAW has laid the foundations for providing targeted support for this transition. The commuting data not only reveals where emissions are currently being generated, but also where the greatest progress can be made if the right framework conditions are created, providing a clear point of departure for the years ahead.
