Winner: TSYS

Finalists: York Marriott Hotel, York Teaching Hospital NHS Foundation

AN international payments processing company which helped to introduce the UK’s first Park and Pedal Scheme rode off with the title of Best Sustainable Travel Initiative.

TSYS, in Fulford Road, is working hard to reduce its impact on the environment by encouraging its 370 staff, known as team members, to use sustainable travel methods whenever they can.

The company has launched its own on and off road cycling clubs, a cycle to work initiative, and joined forces this year with City of York Council to help the council launch its park and pedal initiative, assisting with the council’s marketing design and contributing to the print costs for the campaign.

The judges praised TSYS on its clear focus on all aspects of sustainable travel and its employment of a range of initiatives which engage staff with cycling and walking challenges and the local community to deliver the Park and Pedal Scheme - a UK first.

They said the business’s attention to all aspects of corporate travel resulting in the reduction of carbon miles, minimising deliveries, and promoting locally sourced goods are a credit to its commitment to sustainable travel.

For the past two years TSYS has promoted the Living Streets Walking Challenge, which aims to encourage team members to walk to work or walk part of their journey. In 2010 the company established a UK environmental group to investigate and assess all environment related suggestions.

One idea was a staff car-share club where team members use the firm’s intranet to ‘advertise’ their car journey details to others. They log their details and phone extension numbers and other team members can see if they match up and make their own arrangements to car share.

TSYS’s associated facilities director Julie Jones, said: “We promoted our cycling schemes as an alternative to joining the queue of heavy traffic on Fulford Road.

“We also encourage team members to use the Park and Ride routes, and refund all tickets costs to team members who choose this option to lessen the local traffic.

“We provide secure cycle parking within our grounds, and have extended this within 2013 because more team members are choosing this option for their daily commute.

We also offer a free gym for our team members with shower facilities to ensure they are comfortable after their cycling.”

“Our team members are key to our environmental plans. It is their suggestions and support for the schemes we introduce that makes our travel sustainable and successful.”