As corporations face increasing pressure to meet sustainability targets and alleviate regional traffic congestion, understanding employee commuting behavior has become a critical management concern. Traditional mobility policies often fall short due to the diverse and complex motivations behind commuting choices. This thesis investigates how different employee segments in the Netherlands perceive enablers and barriers in their commuting decisions, aiming to inform more targeted and effective mobility strategies.

A mixed-method approach was employed. Quantitatively, the study analyzed the Landelijk Reizigersonderzoek (LRO) dataset using Latent Class Analysis (LCA), which is well-suited for identifying commuter segments based on categorical survey data. This analysis revealed distinct profiles among car, public transport, and bicycle users, highlighting significant variation even within the same mode of transport. For instance, car commuters ranged from cost-sensitive individuals to convenience-driven and disengaged habitual drivers. Public transport users included both financially motivated long-distance travelers and those prioritizing convenience, while cyclists emphasized practical facilities, with secure bike storage emerging as a key enabler.

Complementing this, a qualitative case study at ASML involved semi-structured interviews to explore the lived experiences of commuters. This revealed nuanced insights, such as the psychological role of commuting as a buffer between work and home, and the stress induced by traffic congestion and parking challenges. The “last mile” emerged as a critical barrier to public transport adoption, with inefficient final connections significantly reducing its appeal. Social influences and financial considerations also played context-dependent roles in shaping commuting behavior.

The findings underscore the need for mobility policies that reflect the segmented nature of commuter motivations rather than relying on demographic generalizations. Effective strategies must consider the entire door-to-door journey, as a single inconvenience can undermine broader policy goals. Moreover, perceived fairness and the availability of viable alternatives are essential for policy acceptance.

Based on these insights, the thesis recommends several actions for ASML and similar organizations. Addressing the last mile requires collaboration with municipalities and exploring remote office hubs. Financial incentives should be optimized, maintaining high-impact subsidies while recognizing the limited effect of smaller reimbursements. Parking management should shift toward fairness and demand regulation, with investments favoring sustainable alternatives like premium carpool spots. Finally, unlocking the potential of carpooling and other alternatives may require innovations such as a “Mobility Guarantee” to enhance flexibility.

Shifting towards sustainable mobility is essential to reduce global emissions and alleviate congested transport systems, while the transport sector is responsible for more than a third of all carbon dioxide emissions from end-use sectors. The car has a much larger carbon footprint than alternatives such as the train, cycling, or the bus, and in the Netherlands, more than half of all kilometres driven annually come from business traffic and commuting. Employers therefore have a major role in a shift towards sustainable mobility by stimulating employees to travel less, more efficiently, or differently. But this shift is complicated, while a universal solution to achieve sustainable mobility is lacking. There is no “one-size-fits-all” solution, and research measuring effects after policy implementation remains limited.

This research investigates the relationships between day-to-day changing factors such as weather conditions and seasonality and the commuting behaviour of ASML’s employees. Also, implemented mobility policies are evaluated. Using a two-year dataset capturing daily commuting volumes by car, bike, bus, and office presence, this quantitative case study applies a range of methods to explore day-to-day variability in travel behaviour. These include Ordinary Least Squares (OLS) regression, Multinomial Logistic Regression (MLR), and Time Series Analysis techniques such as decomposition, SARIMAX modelling, and Interrupted Time Series (ITS) analysis.

Findings show that weather has a significant influence on commuting behaviour, particularly cycling. Darkness, which is generally understudied, appears to be one of the prevailing factors, especially as many employees commute during rush hours when darkness is present. The results also reveal that commuters tend to fall back on unsustainable practices when opportunities arise—for example, on Fridays and during school holidays when office attendance is lower, resulting in more available car parking and fewer cycling commuters.

Based on the findings, two categories of policy recommendations are proposed:

The first category involves improving policy assessment. To strengthen data-driven evaluation, it is essential not only to collect but also to validate and verify data. In addition to quantitative analysis, qualitative methods are needed to gather commuter perceptions. Enhanced collaboration across organizations and stakeholders is also vital for better data-sharing and evaluation. Given the high day-to-day variability in commuting, both short-term fluctuations and long-term effects should be considered.

The second category concerns promoting sustainable commuting behaviour. Incentives for travelling during non-peak hours and cycling during dark periods are important. Alongside ‘pull’ measures, ‘push’ strategies discouraging car use should be explored. Though the Netherlands has strong cycling infrastructure, weather and seasonality remain influential, requiring attention to facilities such as better-lit cycle paths, favourable traffic lights for cyclists, and drying services at work, which are part of an inexhaustible list of possibilities.

This research highlights that a mix of policy measures is necessary to achieve a meaningful shift towards sustainable commuting and offers valuable insights for policymakers, researchers, and commuters.