Beweging.net lives up to its ambitions for sustainable mobility”
In recent years, many organisations have added adjectives such as environmentally friendly, ecological and sustainable to their mission. But it is often more difficult to implement that theory in reality. Not so with Beweging.net, the umbrella association of the christelijke arbeidersbeweging (Christian workers’ movement). There, deeds take precedence over words. “The latest development in our sustainability policy is a pilot project with Olympus Mobility,” explained Luc Dendooven, Head of Finance and Administration. “The first reactions are already very promising.”
Mobility is the key to a healthy work-life balance for the 120 employees of Beweging.net in the Brussels suburb of Schaerbeek. That is why the organisation, in collaboration with Belfius Auto Lease, started looking for a solution that was advantageous to all of their colleagues, as well as to the organisation itself. It did not take them long to choose Mobility as a Service in the form of the mobility app from Olympus Mobility.
A flying start
“We were immediately won over by the idea,” says Luc Dendooven. “The app combines all the main means of transport for commuter traffic and it is easily accessible. We set up a pilot group of 30 employees, gave everyone a brief introduction and they have been working with the app since last week. The project will run for three months, but there is already great excitement about it. Several colleagues even asked me to join the pilot group. We are clearly on the right track.”
“After a week, there was already great excitement about Olympus Mobility.”
Stress-free on the way
“The one aspect that everyone is most satisfied with is that the stress of going to and from work is removed. They have an agreed budget to spend, they no longer need to wait in line to buy tickets and they quickly see which connections are available for their route. For example, the train-shared bike combination is a popular option. Based on your profile data, the app knows what the cheapest formula is at NMBS and you already receive the code for your Blue-bike, Mobit or Velo shared bike before you arrive at the station.”
Everything digital
“This pilot project promises a lot for my department, too. The piles of paper tickets disappear like snow in the sun, because the administrative follow-up process is fully incorporated into the app. As an administrator I can follow the mobility behaviour of the pilot group in real time and at the end of the journey only one invoice is issued. This so-called ‘paperless’ administration also benefits our sustainability policy. For now, there haven’t been any functional questions from the users, so this mobility solution scores well with management in this area as well.”
“It’s a mature app, which makes everything self-explanatory.”
Looking to the future
“As recently as five years ago I would have looked up in surprise if someone dropped the term Mobility as a Service, but today it has become unavoidable. Even in their spare time, the employees of the pilot group are actively using it, because you can also top up your private budget. In the future, their family members will also be able to benefit from this and a carpool function will be added. There’s no turning back (laughs).”