Smart Commute Initiative (Toronto - Canada)

The Smart Commute project began as an initiative from the local municipalities and regions of the Greater Toronto and Hamilton Areas, developed from May 2004 to March 2007. With funding from the cities, Transport Canada and private sector partners, the Smart Commute Initiative aimed to promote different transportation options for commuters, such as carpooling, transit, cycling, walking and telework (this approach is called transportation demand management – TDM).

Currently, Smart Commute is a programme of Metrolinx devoted to promoting and supporting citizens to explore smart travel options that allow them to leave their cars at home, saving time and money. Some of Smart Commute’s services include: making assessments and surveys to analyse commute behaviour of the workers; creating tailored action plans to encourage workers to explore smart travel options; providing tools to facilitate change (such as carpool ride matching programmes, emergency ride home programmes, discounted transit pass programmes, telework programmes and flexible work arrangements, walking and cycling programmes, fun events and promotions).

Some of the results of the initial project (2004-2007) were:

- 7 Smart Commutes were created and expanded;

- A carpool service that matches up commuters was launched in 2005 (www.carpoolzone.ca);

- Every day around 10,000 cars are off the roads and a total of 1.3 million individual trips were saved;

- More than 17,400 tonnes of greenhouse gas emissions avoided.