Rex says
Everyday utility math — the kind you'd otherwise pull up four browser tabs for. I keep it to one clean answer.
Try a scenario
Click to load — tweak from there.Inputs
Result
Total annual commute emissions
361.9
Per-employee emissions
1,206
From driving alone
317.6
From transit
23.59
Share biking/walking/other
5%
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How to use this
- 1Enter employees commuting.
- 2Enter average round-trip commute (miles).
- 3Enter in-office days per week.
- 4Enter share driving alone (%).
- 5Enter share carpooling (avg 2.2 occupants) (%).
- 6Enter share using transit (%).
- 7Read your total annual commute emissions on the right — it updates as you type.
- 8Hit Share to keep the scenario or send it to someone.
About this calculator
Employee commuting is a Scope 3 category under the GHG Protocol and, for office-heavy companies, it's often one of the larger line items in the inventory once you exclude purchased goods. This calculator estimates total annual commute emissions by combining headcount, average one-way commute distance, days in office, and the mode split (drive-alone, carpool, transit, bike/walk) across your workforce. It applies EPA per-mile emission factors adjusted for vehicle occupancy, since a car with two occupants halves the per-person emissions of driving alone. Companies use this number for CDP Scope 3 Category 7 disclosures and to model the emissions impact of remote-work policy changes or a transit subsidy program — cutting in-office days from five to three typically cuts commute emissions by close to 40%, which is often bigger than any single facilities-side reduction project.
Worked example
Using the values the calculator loads with:
Inputs
- Employees commuting: 300
- Average round-trip commute: 24 miles
- In-office days per week: 3
- Share driving alone: 70 %
- Share carpooling (avg 2.2 occupants): 10 %
- Share using transit: 15 %
Results
- Total annual commute emissions: 361.9
- Per-employee emissions: 1,206
- From driving alone: 317.6
- From transit: 23.59
- Share biking/walking/other: 5%
What each field means
Inputs
- Employees commuting
- The employees commuting used in the calculation. Starts at 300 so you have a working example on load.
- Average round-trip commute (miles)
- The average round-trip commute used in the calculation, measured in miles. Starts at 24 miles so you have a working example on load.
- In-office days per week
- The in-office days per week used in the calculation. Starts at 3 so you have a working example on load. Accepted range: 0–7.
- Share driving alone (%)
- The share driving alone used in the calculation, measured in %. Starts at 70 % so you have a working example on load. Accepted range: 0–100 %.
- Share carpooling (avg 2.2 occupants) (%)
- The share carpooling (avg 2.2 occupants) used in the calculation, measured in %. Starts at 10 % so you have a working example on load. Accepted range: 0–100 %.
- Share using transit (%)
- The share using transit used in the calculation, measured in %. Starts at 15 % so you have a working example on load. Accepted range: 0–100 %.
Results
- Total annual commute emissions
- Returned as a whole number and shown as the headline result. It recalculates instantly whenever you change an input, so you can compare scenarios without reloading.
- Per-employee emissions
- Returned as a whole number. It recalculates instantly whenever you change an input, so you can compare scenarios without reloading.
- From driving alone
- Returned as a whole number. It recalculates instantly whenever you change an input, so you can compare scenarios without reloading.
- From transit
- Returned as a whole number. It recalculates instantly whenever you change an input, so you can compare scenarios without reloading.
- Share biking/walking/other
- Returned as a percentage. It recalculates instantly whenever you change an input, so you can compare scenarios without reloading.
FAQ
How do I get accurate mode-split data instead of guessing?
Run an annual commute survey — most companies use a short anonymous form asking mode, distance, and days in office. Even a 60-70% response rate gives a defensible estimate; extrapolating from parking lot counts and transit subsidy usage can supplement gaps in survey coverage.
Why does carpooling get divided by 2.2, not 2?
EPA commuter survey data shows average carpool occupancy (driver plus passengers) runs around 2.2 people, not exactly 2, because some carpools include 3+ riders. Dividing total driving emissions by that average occupancy is the standard way to allocate per-person emissions fairly across a shared vehicle.
Does remote work actually reduce this meaningfully?
Yes, and close to linearly with days-in-office — cutting from 5 to 3 in-office days cuts commute emissions by roughly 40%, since the formula scales directly with days per week. It's usually the single largest lever a company has over Scope 3 commuting without capital investment in transit subsidies or EV charging infrastructure.
Accuracy and limitations
- Estimates assume standard, average conditions — local rules, pricing, and materials vary.
- Results are rounded for readability; add a buffer before ordering, booking, or committing.
- Double-check anything with a real cost attached against a local quote.
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Supply Chain Emissions Intensity Calculator
Emissions per dollar of spend by supplier category, spend-based method.
Cite this calculator
Writing about this topic? Grab a citation — every link helps keep these tools free.
RevenueLab. (2026). Employee Commute Emissions Calculator. Retrieved from https://www.revenuelab.fyi/toolbox/employee-commute-emissions
<p>Source: <a href="https://www.revenuelab.fyi/toolbox/employee-commute-emissions" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Employee Commute Emissions Calculator — RevenueLab</a> (2026).</p>
Source: [Employee Commute Emissions Calculator — RevenueLab](https://www.revenuelab.fyi/toolbox/employee-commute-emissions) (2026).