Research from the Netherlands Environmental Assessment Agency shows that we travel increasingly longer distances to get to work. Especially commuting Driving from North Brabant and Gelderland to the Randstad raises the average. But is commuting considered a private or business trip?

Cause of growth

The ever-increasing distances between home and work are partly due to rising house prices. People who work in the Randstad are increasingly living far outside it. Research shows that 33 percent live in a different location than where they work. People travel to the Randstad from cities throughout the Netherlands, primarily from Utrecht and The Hague, but also from Gelderland towns such as Arnhem, Ede, and Nijmegen.

Average commuting distance

The average commuting distance in the Netherlands is 19 kilometers. Highly educated men, in particular, are driving up the average: they drive an average of more than 35 kilometers to get to work. Part-timers, women, and those with lower levels of education generally work closer to home. Over the past 25 years, the average distance between home and work has increased by 4,4 kilometers, a 23 percent increase.

Private or business

Whether commuting can be considered private or business depends on the scheme you're considering. If you're looking purely at the VAT scheme, commuting kilometers must be recorded as private use. If you're looking at the additional tax liability scheme, commuting is considered a business trip. If you drive a company car and choose not to pay additional tax, you must pay a trip registration to keep track of all your journeys and indicate whether they were business, private, or commuting. A very time-consuming task with a high risk of errors. It is much easier to choose a trip registration system so that all journeys are automatically recorded.