Sustainable Travel and Transport at Leeds Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust
At The Leeds Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust (LTHT), we are committed to reducing our carbon footprint and promoting sustainable travel. Choosing active and sustainable travel options benefits your health, the environment, and can save you money!
We are required to achieve net-zero for our overall carbon footprint by 2045. Staff commuting and the travel of patients and visitors are key areas in which greenhouse gas emissions must be reduced.
In recent years, the trust has made a conscious effort to reduce our emissions from transport to and from our hospitals, as well as between our sites. This is evident from the vast amount of progress we have made so far, including:
Achievements so far
- Awarded Silver Cycle Friendly Employer by We are Cycle UK, the international benchmark for active travel culture and infrastructure in the workplace.
- 100% of Trust shuttle buses are low or ultra-low emission.
- Annual active travel campaign in place to promote cycle to work schemes across the Trust.
- Two additional cycle stores have been provided at St. James University Hospital (SJUH) near Trust Headquarters and the new Pathology building to promote active transport.
- Salary sacrifice cycle to work scheme in place which offers discounted bike locks, helmets, and other cycling equipment.
- Staff shuttle bus provides links to all hospital sites, including linking to Leeds Train Station.
- Advice on personal safety for active transport, and active transport routes, are available for staff on the intranet and are now included in new starter inductions.
The Trust’s Travel Pamphlet outlines our commitment to reducing our carbon footprint through promoting sustainable travel.
Access the Travel Pamphlet to find more information on:
- Walking times between LTHT sites.
- Safe and accessible walking and cycling routes, cycle facilities available, cycle-to-work salary sacrifice scheme and bus/shuttle bus routes.
- How to save money by reducing fuel, parking and public transport costs as well as the different transport related discounts available.
Click here to download our Travel Pamphlet
Although progress has been made, there is still much more we can do to create positive change and continue the transition towards more sustainable use of transport. Following the objectives of our Travel Plan is necessary to enable this change.
Our Travel Plan
Download our Travel Plan Executive Summary
In 2023, we published our Board-approved Travel Plan which details travel patterns and behaviours on a site-by-site basis. It also identifies a range of measures the Trust aims to implement when taking steps to improve sustainability of transport for each site. This plan exceeds the NHS England target for Green Travel Plans to be published by trusts by 2026.
The Travel Plan follows the travel hierarchy framework for prioritising lower-carbon, healthier and more efficient modes of transport. The framework ranks transport options based on their environmental impact, health benefits and sustainability with the results as follows:
- Reduce the need to travel (e.g. use of digital)
- Walking
- Cycling.
- Public transport.
- Car (EVs and shared trips before solo travel)
A Travel Action Plan (TAP) has been produced in support of the Travel Plan and contains 8 strategic objectives, following the travel hierarchy:
- Encourage active and sustainable travel and improve local infrastructure.
- Improve cycling infrastructure and staff facilities.
- Increase uptake of public transport.
- Decrease vehicle use and promote car sharing.
- Increase electric vehicle uptake and improve EV charging infrastructure.
- Improve parking infrastructure and permit regulations.
- Engage with local and regional stakeholders.
- Improve the quantity and quality of transport related data.
If we can successfully implement the objectives outlined within the Travel Plan and TAP, we will enable steps towards a greener future for transport not only at the Trust, but across Leeds and West Yorkshire as a whole.
Our Travel Survey
A Travel Survey is conducted annually by the trust, with the aim of collecting data to support sustainability and travel planning activity. The survey provides insight into staff working patterns, commuting behaviours, cross-site travel choices and transport motivations/barriers which can be used to inform the travel plan.
We undertook our recent survey in the Spring of 2025 for LTHT staff, patients and visitors. From this, we obtained a total 936 responses.
Key findings of the survey:
- Most staff work 3-5 days per week, often in hybrid roles (on-site and remote).
- Private cars are the most common commuting mode, followed by public transport and active travel (e.g. walking/cycling).
- Convenience, time, and lack of alternatives drive car use.
- Cross-site travel, mainly between LGI and SJUH, is frequent (monthly to weekly), with many people using the Trust Shuttle Bus or walking.
- Interest in public and active travel could increase with improved facilities, safer routes, and more reliable services.
- The opportunities for the greatest carbon savings are associated with incentivising petrol car users to switch to using public transport or electric vehicles (EVs). The (un)reliability of public transport services and the (non)availability of EV charging at the Trust were most frequently cited as barriers preventing a potential switch.
- The main transport mode used 2-5 miles from the Trust is a car; schemes targeting this demographic would be beneficial in reducing carbon footprint of the site and staff.
- Additional comments were made on improvements required for the shuttle bus service, for those who travel across sites.
Further information on findings can be viewed in the Travel Survey Executive Summary below. We are actively working to address the areas and opportunities flagged by our survey to improve sustainable transport options at the trust.
Resources for Staff
- LTHT Sustainable Travel Page: Sustainable Travel and Parking
- Public Transport Discounts: Public Transport Discounts
- Shuttle bus timetable: Shuttle Bus
Contact for transport enquiries: [email protected]
