Despite government incentives, many private companies are not doing much to encourage people to commute to work in a greener way, according to new research.

A survey of 1029 employees who drive for their work found that fewer than one in five were asked to have a particular fuel type for their company car.

By contrast, 40% had limitations on how much they could spend per month and just over a quarter had restrictions on the car brand they could use. The result was that half drove diesel vehicles, and just one in ten had an electric or hybrid car.

The survey, an annual measure of business drivers’ habits and expectations, was conducted by Panelwizard for EVBox, which manufactures electric charging stations.

Although they drove, one in eight of the respondents had a bicycle plan giving tax incentives for purchasing a bike to cycle to work, 6% had a lease bike and 3.9% had a company bike available – despite the fact that the Dutch government is heavily promoting cycling to reduce congestion and greenhouse gas emissions.

Kristof Vereenooghe, chief executive of EVBox, said that over the world, vehicles are responsible for almost a quarter of greenhouse gases released into the atmosphere. ‘It is therefore important that the corporate market sets a good example to make our mobility even more sustainable and to relieve the pressure on the climate,’ he said.