Linz university wins award for sustainable commuting project

Johannes Kepler University Linz has received the 2026 VCÖ Mobility Award for Upper Austria for its programme promoting sustainable commuting, ORF reported. The university said the measures had already significantly reduced commuting-related emissions.

The award is presented by the mobility organisation VCÖ, the province of Upper Austria and Austrian Federal Railways for projects supporting an environmentally sustainable and socially fair transition in transport. This year’s competition focused on sustainability, efficiency and innovation.

Since March 2024, university employees and students have been able to use the Pave Commute app to record journeys to the university by public transport, bicycle or on foot. The app also allows users to form car pools and take part in joint challenges.

According to the university, these measures reduced emissions by about 170,000 kilograms in 2024 compared with 2023.

In March 2026, the university also replaced subsidies for car parking with a general mobility allowance. The scheme now supports employees who travel to work by bicycle, public transport, car pool or on foot.

Vice-Rector Alexander Freischlager said the university wanted to combine climate protection with social justice. Redirecting subsidies for fossil-fuel-based transport had created a system with a clear incentive effect, he said.

Maria Buchmayr, head of the university’s sustainability office, said commuting accounted for almost 42 percent of the university’s total emissions. At the same time, fewer than 30 percent of people travelled to the university in fossil-fuel-powered cars.

Johannes Kepler University has set a target of becoming climate-neutral by 2030. Its mobility management programme is intended to make commuting more climate-friendly and socially equitable, Buchmayr said.