Q: triply describes itself as a “mobility intelligence” platform transforming corporate commuting. How does triply work in practice, and what insights does it provide for clients?

Sebastian Tanzer (ST): There are three key points regarding commuting. First, employees commute to and from the office every day, but many companies do not fully understand the process or impact of those commutes, as commuting decisions are often left to employees. Commuting has become an increasingly important factor in job satisfaction, retention, and even in deciding whether to accept or stay in a role. Longer commutes often correlate with higher employee turnover.

Second, commuting is expensive for both employees and employers. Companies must provide infrastructure like parking or transportation services, while employees spend considerable time and money traveling to work. Third, commuting is directly linked to sustainability because of the emissions produced by daily travel. 

This is where triply adds value. We help companies gain detailed insights into how their employees move every day. Our analysis provides an overview of the organization’s commuting footprint, showing emissions levels, commuting costs for employees and employers, and total time spent traveling. With this data, we can identify opportunities for improvement, whether through better use of public transport, cycling infrastructure, or optimized shuttle systems. Ultimately, we help companies design more efficient, cost-effective, and sustainable commuting strategies, reducing travel times, improving accessibility, and enhancing overall business performance.

Q: What data does triply require from companies in order to conduct its analysis?

Christopher Stelzmüller (CS): The first requirement is basic information about where employees live. The other key element is information about any existing bus transportation schedule, if the company operates one. With just this data, we can compare the existing transportation setup to potential alternatives, identifying options that could reduce costs or lower CO₂ emissions, depending on the company’s goals.

What we often find is that many bus schedules were designed several years ago and have not been updated since. In industries with high employee turnover, such as manufacturing, this creates inefficiencies because the routes no longer reflect where employees live now. Our work focuses on addressing this gap, analyzing commuting patterns and helping companies redesign transportation systems to better match their workforce’s real needs.

Q: triply helps companies not only optimize their employees’ commutes, but also track the CO2 emissions these commutes cause. How does triply make these calculations, and how does it ensure their reliability?

ST: We analyze employees’ commuting behavior using either company-provided data or statistical data from the area where the company operates. Without tracking individual employees, we then build a highly accurate picture of how the company’s workforce commutes. From there, we determine typical emissions for each mode of transport in that country, including public transit, buses, trains, walking, biking, or cars. Even biking, which has no direct emissions, involves indirect emissions from manufacturing. For cars, we also assess different vehicle classes and their average emissions.

By integrating all this information, we can produce detailed, precise calculations of total commuting emissions. This includes specifics such as average walking distance, bus or train segments, and final walking distance to the office. The result is a high-quality, accurate overview that meets recognized reporting standards for emissions. Our methodology has been reviewed by environmental auditors in the European Union, all of whom have been satisfied with the precision and reliability of our results.

Q: How can triply help employers reduce their CO2 emissions, and what role do incentives play in this process? 

ST: It is not possible to force employees to change their commuting habits, which is why we always start with a data analysis to understand the situation. We look for reasonable, practical, and justifiable options. For example, when considering public transportation, we take into account how much longer the commute would be compared to driving. Our data shows that if commuting time increases by over 25%, employees are much less likely to switch modes. So we focus on identifying routes and modes that keep total commute times within that limit. The first step, then, is understanding what is truly achievable in terms of optimization.

Once those options are clear, the next phase is change management. Communication and education are essential in helping employees understand not only the environmental impact, but also the financial benefits of switching from cars to more sustainable options. Many people underestimate the true cost of driving; they think mainly about gas, not repairs, insurance, or depreciation.

From there, we often introduce incentive systems. For example, employees can earn points or rewards for using sustainable commuting options, such as ride-sharing or shuttle busses. Change is a gradual process that typically takes between one and five years, depending on how committed the company is. But it works. Most companies reach a 90%–95% adoption rate for more sustainable commuting once the right measures are in place.

Q: How are you adapting your model to markets where private car use is dominant and public transit is less developed?

CS: Shuttles are one of the few commuting scenarios where companies have direct control over what options are available to employees. This gives them a unique opportunity to design and manage the system themselves, deciding how much to invest and what goals they want to achieve. In this situation, we provide companies with a decision-making tool that helps them determine the most efficient and cost-effective setup. There is always a trade-off: they can add more routes and stops to serve as many employees as possible, but doing so increases costs. Our analysis helps them find the right balance between coverage and spending.

In Mexico, safety is especially important. Many companies want to ensure that shuttle stops are located within a short walking distance of employees’ homes. Doing this manually can take weeks, literally adding pins one by one in Google Maps. With our tool, companies can instantly model these scenarios. For example, they can set a maximum walking distance of 500m and immediately see how that change affects the number of routes, total costs, and overall coverage. This allows them to identify the optimal setup that balances safety, accessibility, and cost, offering the best commuting experience for employees while staying within budget.

Q: What business incentives exist for companies to address Scope 3 emissions, given that in countries like Mexico, Scope 3 emissions reporting is not mandatory?

ST: There is a sense of pride in reducing emissions, but it also reflects a real need among companies in Mexico. Many businesses have headquarters in the United States or the European Union, where new regulations are requiring them to report their emissions. Many companies in Mexico that are not directly affected will soon face similar requirements because they supply to firms that must comply.

Many companies in Mexico already provide shuttle services, with almost every company with over 500 employees offering some form of employee transport. Compared to the European Union, commuting is an even more significant issue in Mexico. In the United Kingdom, a study of 40,000 individuals showed that adding just 20 minutes to a daily commute has the same negative impact on well-being as a 19% pay cut. In Mexico, this becomes even more critical because many workers do not own cars and rely on employer-provided transport. For them, the quality of that transport can determine whether they accept or stay in a job. If another company offers a similar role but with a 30-minute shorter commute, they are likely to switch immediately.

That is why transportation is such a major issue in Mexico, and why we can add real value. Many companies subcontract their shuttle operations to third-party providers, but they often lack visibility into how effective those services actually are. They do not know whether routes are optimized, whether costs could be reduced, or whether the system truly meets employee needs. We help companies gain that visibility. They can assess how well their system works, identify inefficiencies, and potentially deliver the same or even better quality service while reducing costs through smarter route optimization. Companies can use this data to understand where higher employee turnover might be linked to poor transportation and take targeted action, adding routes, improving schedules, or increasing coverage. 

Q: What success stories in Mexico showcase triply’s reach and capabilities?

ST: By providing a solid analytical foundation, we help companies clearly understand the potential impact of specific changes, which in turn makes it much easier to justify investments or get the necessary approvals. One of the reasons we are active in Mexico is because of our collaboration with BMW. Together, we analyzed its operations at the San Luis Potosi plant and observed that it could cut costs by up to more than 25% without affecting the quality of transportation for employees.

We also improve planning capability. By digitalizing the entire transportation system, companies can continuously simulate different scenarios. They can track monthly or quarterly changes in workforce numbers, assess how employee shifts might evolve, and quickly test potential optimizations. What used to take weeks of manual planning can now be done almost instantly at the click of a button. This not only saves time but also simplifies communication with service providers, since companies can easily share data-backed proposals and clearly show the expected outcomes of any route or schedule adjustments.

Q: How does triply help its clients reduce costs while cutting emissions?

CS: Employee mobility — especially when it comes to company shuttles — is one of the few business cases where cost reductions directly align with emissions reductions. In many cases, companies have to choose between being more cost-efficient or more CO₂-efficient. But here, both goals can be achieved simultaneously. For example, if a company manages to reduce the number of buses by about 30%, that typically results in a similar decrease in overall travel distance. As a result, emissions are also reduced by roughly 30%.

This creates a rare and valuable win-win situation: the company improves efficiency and lowers costs, employees benefit from shorter travel times, and the environment gains from reduced emissions. It’s one of those rare cases where financial, operational, and sustainability goals all align perfectly.

ST: On average, many of the companies we have worked with operate at least 10 shuttle buses each day. Considering that a typical shuttle bus costs roughly US$60,000 per year to operate, the potential savings are quite substantial. For smaller companies, optimizing their shuttle systems can lead to savings of about US$115,000 annually. For mid-sized companies, the number can rise to about US$300,000, and for larger operations of 50 buses, savings can reach up to US$575,000 a year.

Q: What challenges has the company encountered in Mexico, and what opportunities has it identified?

ST: We have seen near unanimous agreement that employee transportation is a critical issue. Many companies face high employee turnover, sometimes exceeding 20%, 30%, or even 40%. Another key issue is that most companies lack the capacity to evaluate how effective their shuttle systems and operators are. Nearly every company we visited subcontracts their shuttle services to an operator. Some assume their providers are doing a good job because of longstanding relationships, but in many cases, the system is far from optimized.

This gap shaped our business model, which was designed to help companies understand exactly how well their transport providers are performing. We start with a small setup fee to digitalize the entire system, and beyond that, our fees are contingent on the results we deliver — specifically, how much savings triply generates for clients. This ensures that companies can improve efficiency while only paying for tangible outcomes.