How can you get companies to implement operational mobility management? What good examples already exist? What are public subsidies for? He dealt with all these questions “2. mobility dialogue” from January 17 of this year. The target group of this online event were works councils.
For many working people, commuting represents a major financial – but also time-related and psychological – burden. Two thirds of the journeys to work in this country are made by car – and mostly alone. This causes a good quarter of the CO2-Emissions from all passenger transport in Austria. It is therefore high time that companies take their responsibility and ensure that their employees and customers can reach the company in a cost-effective and climate-friendly manner. That is why the AK also calls for mandatory mobility management for companies with 50 or more employees.
Many years of experience show that there are a number of factors that determine whether mobility management becomes a success story. So it is essential that the management is fully behind the project and possibly acts as a role model (“the boss rides her bike to work“). The works council must also be fully involved. The mobility officer should have direct access to the decision-makers, otherwise many suggestions will come to nothing. The connection to company health care creates great synergies; this of course applies to walking and cycling. If unlimited free or very cheap parking spaces are available, this is counterproductive. However, this is a sensitive and emotional issue.
However, the following graphic shows that this aspect needs to be addressed: The survey „Austria on the way“ from the years 2013/14 shows how much the existence of a parking space at the place of work influences the choice of transport.
To go biking
Since more than half of the journeys to work in Austria are shorter than 10 kilometers, there is great potential for cycling to work. E-bikes also increase the radius of action. This can be done with suitable covered and theft-proof parking spaces (with charging stations), showers, lockers and so-called “Job raider” support financially. For example, Julius Blum GmbH in Vorarlberg has purchased 2,250 e-bikes and 338 normal bikes, which it makes available to employees. There are also 840 parking spaces, around a tenth of which are equipped with a charging facility. The pharmaceutical company Boehringer Ingelheim has built 200 new bicycle parking spaces and charging stations. Access to the company premises is simplified via special wheel locks. For colleagues who arrive by train and change to bikes at Wien-Meidling station, there are special bike boxes there. In addition, employees are offered a repair service four times a year in cooperation with a bicycle dealer. All of this works: The goals set in 2016 for the “modal shift” (= change in mobility behavior) were achieved! Allgemeine Sparkasse Oberösterreich AG purchased a total of 200 e-bikes at the various locations as job bikes, which employees can use for both business and private trips.
Jobticket
According to AK Study a good half of all company locations with 50 or more employees can be easily reached by public transport (public transport quality class A and B). However, the regional differences are very large: While this applies to more than 90 percent of Vienna’s locations, only a fifth of the companies in the federal states of Lower Austria, Carinthia and Burgenland are well connected.
So where the public transport offer fits, the employer can provide the corresponding season tickets or climate tickets free of charge (or at a reduced price) and tax-free. The aforementioned Julius Blum GmbH issued more than 2,300 such job tickets. There are also thousands of trial tickets available to try out. There are also 1,000 job tickets at MPREIS in Tyrol. To overcome the so-called “last mile”, e-scooters and covered bicycle parking spaces with charging options as well as two e-transport bikes are also available. Incidentally, monitors that clearly show the departure times of public transport in the buildings also create awareness.
Encourage carpooling and other activities
Frauscher Sensortechnik GmbH in Upper Austria promotes car pools and works together with a mobility platform. Medienhaus Vorarlberg also encourages carpooling and provides them with reserved parking spaces “in the front row”. Companies such as the Rewe Group or LKW Walter organize shuttle services from train stations to company headquarters.
In order to increase the effectiveness of all the measures mentioned, these measures should consist of information days, campaign weeks, participation in competitions and awards (e.g. as a “mobility hero”). Not only should previous drivers be motivated to switch, but those who are already driving sustainably should also be rewarded. However, there isn’t the one Patent recipe that suits all companies. Depending on the industry, size, location, age structure of the employees and other special features (e.g. shift working times), companies should use tailor-made measures for successful corporate mobility management. Copying is expressly permitted here! The excuse that there is no suitable measure does not apply! And in addition, the public sector grants a large number of subsidies; be it for free webinars and consultationsfor the Purchase of electric vehiclesthe construction of e-charging stations or the Construction of Radabspitches or the purchase of e-bikes and transport bikes.