Smart Mobility Management 5 Mobility Budget
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Transcript of Smart Mobility Management 5 Mobility Budget
I How to implement a mobility budget ?
I Case Studies: Rexel - Accenture Belgacom - European Parliament PwC Belgium
International Integrated Corporate Mobility Solutions
#5
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Join the Smart Mobility Forum & Awards on March 15th in Brussels.
A MoBility BudgEt, the solution to your mobility management?
Aaccording to a recent report, the introduction of smart mobility budgets could
reduce congestion on Dutch roads by as much as 20%. The report by B50 (the
50 leading Dutch companies in terms of Smart Travel) also suggests that perso-
nal mobility budgets in the Netherlands have a potential target of as much as 6.5 million
commuters. These could all be persuaded to choose their own, most appropriate means
of transport, if provided with a personal budget to do so.
In the Netherlands, buzzwords like the New World of Work, Mobility Budgets and Smart
Travel have captured the attention of the corporate world. Also in Belgium, a swelling
chorus is proposing the introduction of mobility budgets for employees. The trend is
so strong that some are already seeing mobility budgets as the standard of the future.
Experts predict that other countries will also start to trend away from classic lease
contracts to new, adaptable mobility budgets. But a certain amount of doubt and hesi-
tation remains. Today’s fiscal and legal procedures are not yet ready for this new trend,
and companies themselves are not keen to take on more paperwork. Nevertheless, the
desire to explore the option is clear and present.
Studies show that mobility as a policy is becoming more of a strategic issue, taken up by
HR Management. Final responsibility for mobility policy will need to be near the Board
of Directors - or taken the Board itself. The current economic crisis, the growth of traffic
congestion, the increasing demands of employees for more flexible combinations of
work and life, require answers, and at least an outline of a plan, from our governments.
Now that we’ve started our engines in the journey towards an integrated management
of mobility - let’s switch to first gear. Please join us at ‘Move to Integrated Mobility’ in
Brussels on 15th March, a first international event on this subject. And please stay for
‘Implementing a Mobility Budget’ on 16th March, a customer-only training session by the
Smart Mobility Institute.
Caroline Thonnon
Caroline THONNON
SmarT mobiliTy inSTiTuTe - bruSSelS, marCh 16Th 2012The Smart Mobility Institute (SMI), unaffiliated with any commercial interest, is both a training session for corporate decision makers and a platform to exchange expertise and best practices. The goal of the SMI is to facilitate the implementation and management of a smart mobility strategy, and thus help bring the market to maturity. The SMI provides a forum to all interested sectors of industry such as mobility, fleet, travel, IT, and communications. It gives voice to the needs and desires of companies transitioning to Smart Mobility Management.
Session topic: Implementing a Mobility Budget-Registration fee: €495 (including free access to the Smart Mobility Forum & Award on March 15th)
More information: www.smart-mobilitymanagement.com/sme To register, contact Romina De Gregorio ([email protected])
edito
smart mobility management - n°5 I 3
smart mobility management - n°5 I 5
Content
Strategy
20 Travel industry European Union
Emissions Trading Scheme
22 Smart mobility event 3 events in 1 Smart Mobility Forum Smart Mobility Awards Smart Mobility Institute
27 Carpooling Catching a ride
29 Taxation Smart Mobility needs Smart Taxation
22
CaSe StudieS
30 rexel Jean-Noël Gouillou “Mission possible:
optimizing the mobility costs”
34 accenture Marc Thiollier “Moving Forward, a new
approach to the work environment”
36 belgacom Femke Vandoninck &
Etienne Verhelst “Mobility Budget as a
box of bricks”
39 european Parliament
Tom Skinner “The Mobility Point”
39 Pricewaterhouse-Coopers
Christophe Van Obergen “Mobility is essential, not the car itself”
34
induStry
42 news News from the industry
suppliers
48 Keolis Bernard Tabary Facilitating mobility and integrating solutions
50 Peugeot mu Coralie Henry Poppe
& Sylvain Demas “Peugeot is ready for
B2B”
52 alD automotive Carel Bal “Mobility is in ALD’s
DNA”
54 Polycom Chretien van der Aa “Video-communication
will become common-place”
56 interoute Jan Dezutter “Making video
universal”
48
6 introduction From car scheme to
mobility scheme
12 implementation Need for acceptance
and communication
10 managementHow to manage and control the budget
12 The Green budgetImpact on CSR
13 Tracking the toolsHow to avoid the burden of extra administration
16 newsAbout softwares, a mobility card and awards
16 CommunityAbout the mobility budget
17 mobistarPrior conditions are lacking to start with a mobility budget
18 maastricht-bereikbaarSmart leasing pilot in the Netherlands
doSSier tHe MoBiLity Budget
6
iSSue n°6 SmarT mobiliTy DireCTory 2012
Caroline ThonnonCONTENT & BUSINESS DEVELOPMENT([email protected])
Steven SchoefsCHIEF EDITOR([email protected])
David BaudeweynsSALES & DEVELOPMENT([email protected])
Romina De GregorioINTERNAL SALES([email protected])
Kathleen HubertOPERATIONS & COMMUNICATION([email protected])
Filip Van MullemMARkETING & DEVELOPMENT([email protected])
CONTRIBUTERS:Tim Harrup, Frank Jacobs, Dirk Steyvers
MANAGING PARTNER: Thierry Degives
EDITOR:
Nexus Communication SA, Parc Artisanal 11-13, 4671 Barchon (Belgium) Phone : +32 4 387 87 94 - Fax : +32 4 387 90 63 URL: www.nexuscommunication.be
SMART MOBILITY MANAGEMENT
www.smart-mobilitymanagement.com [email protected]
Reproduction rights (texts, advertisements, pictures) reserved for all countries. Received documents will not be returned. By submitting them, the author implicitly authorizes their publication.
smart mobility management - n°5 I 6
doSSier the mobility budget
From car scheme to mobility scheme
Virtual account
“A mobility budget can be compared
to a virtual account for employees
frequently traveling for business and
as such represents a new flexible travel
and mobility management alterna-
tive for the company” explains Marcel
Bakker, representing Mobility Mixx, a
Dutch consulting company propos-
ing innovative mobility alternatives
to companies since many years. The
virtual account continuously provides
a transparent and updated overview of
the available budget and the incurred
travel costs. Within this virtual account,
the employee selects the most appro-
priate transport method for each
journey, ranging from car to bicycle,
scooter, public transportation such as
train, trams, metro, or even carpooling...,
respecting the company budget limits
and policy. On top, at year end, a sur-
plus in the account can for example be
paid back to the employee as a bonus.
Starting point
In the framework of corporate mobility
planning, the mobility budget concept
has initially been activated as a solution
to reduce the use and the cost of the
company car, replacing vehicle mileage
by cheaper and more sustainable jour-
neys. According to Bart Desmedt from
Traject, “because of the growing mobility
A personal mobility budget allows employees, within a pre-defined budget set by the employer, to personally select her/his transport mode suiting best the individual needs for the planned journey. The mobility budget is gaining more and more supporters although there remains some hesitation.
cost awareness, influenced by rising
congestion, parking shortage and fiscal
measures, the term mobility budget is
more and more used for the (manage-
ment of) the total cost of (employee)
mobility in a company. This includes not
only the company fleet cost but also trip
reimbursements for members of staff
without a company car, parking costs,
infrastructure for sustainable modes and
new ways of working.”
beneficiaries
A mobility budget or a company car are
part of the employee’s compensation
package and considered strong motiva-
tors to join a company, explains Johan
Serrien from Fleet Solutions. Especially
the company car, as status symbol, is
still valued superior than any monetary
budget value. However, many employees
are currently not entitled to this kind
of benefit. Indeed on average still only
20% of company’s staff are entitled to a
company car or a mobility budget. The
remaining 80% only benefit from a reim-
bursement of their business travel or
home-work commuting where the travel
allowance is linked to the commuting
distance. There are hence two categories
of beneficiaries. A minority entitled to
mobility benefits and a majority com-
pensated only for commute traveling.
From this angle a company car budget
is seen as a benefit, whereas a com-
muting/travel reimbursement is mostly
perceived as compulsory to travel to the
office. Proposing an inspiring, coherent,
responsible, flexible and environmentally
encouraged Mobility budget to the entire
company workforce can create a new
united and collective stimulus of shared
responsibility, especially in line with gen-
eration Y expectations.
Shared responsibility
Mobility budgets are an opportunity for
any company aiming for cost savings
whilst providing employees with entire
freedom and flexibility in the choice of
transport modes, consequently lead-
ing to “responsible” decisions and
behavior. Full operational lease as a
typical European conventional way to
provide company cars currently lead
to a “shortcoming of driver responsibil-
ity” suggests Paul Dam from Mobility
Concept. “When provided with a leasing
car, most employees are barely aware
of the costs of driving their vehicle. This
ignorance is reinforced by the Dutch fis-
cal taxation scheme which foresees for
a lease car driver a fix 25% on income,
no matter how many private kilometers
have been reported (501 or 20,000…)”.
A mobility budget is an optimal solution
for this “deficiency of responsibility” as
the scheme, through freedom of choice,
smart mobility management - n°5 I 7
Knowledge workers will benefit most from the mobility budget scheme.
A mobility budget scheme should offer the same continuity as the use of the car. Easy ways to combine and shift transport modes are crucial.
People are able to make a good decision on how to travel.
Companies with specific mobility related problems like parking shortage, have more than only financial interests in introducing a mobility budget.
A company allowing employees to make their own decisions are a more attractive employer.
Modern urban commuters. The main challenge is the change management process: getting the support of the target publics.
smart mobility management - n°5 I 8
doSSier the mobility budget
steers drivers simultaneously to expend-
iture responsibility and environmental
engagement. “Generally speaking, com-
panies have significant advantages to
replace as much as possible the car use
by multimodal alternatives” says Bart
Desmedt. “Especially larger, corporate
companies who want to empower sus-
tainability and employee engagement
are a perfect target group for mobility
budgets,” believes Johan Serrien from
Fleet Solutions.
Challenges
Today, Mobility budgets, still do not ben-
efit in many countries from optimal fiscal
support, which limits an accelerated
and dynamic development at corporate
level. In the Netherlands, mobility budget
schemes have already convinced an
increasing number of companies. For
new ideas and concepts to grow, top
management engagement, as very often,
also plays a key role. Convert a car policy
into a mobility policy simultaneously
involves a fundamental commitment of
many stakeholders within the company,
CHARACTERISTICS OF THE MOBILITY BUDGET (*)
> Budget based on individual mobility solutions/needs
> Risk of cost is at the employee
> Employee has more flexibility/ free choice of more mobility modes
> Mobility modes will be facilitated by the employer
> Employee will be stimulated to make smart choices
*source: Fleet Solutions
a mind shift at individual level and fiscal
support. It is only when these three ele-
ments will be aligned and synchronize
that Mobility budgets for all the good
reasons described here before will enter
their Golden Years.
Caroline Thonnon & Filip Van Mullem
DEFINING THE BUSINESS OBJECTIVES
> Profit > cost savings, HR benefits, predictable costs versus hidden costs
> Planet > CSR and CO2 reduction
> People > flexibility and employee benefits
smart mobility management - n°5 I 9
Introducing a mobility budget only makes sense if your
company is ready to change employee behaviour and if
substantial advantages can be generated by the implemen-
tation. When this is the case, you can start with the detailed
definition of the mobility project.
According to Johan Serrien from Fleet Solutions the definition
starts with the appointment of a project manager and sponsor.
“You also have to define the current mobility situation, the overall
objective and the approach to reach your goals. You have to know
who your customers and stakeholders are, you need to define the
deliverables and boundaries, the possible risks and constraints
and the possible financial and non-financial impact.” Marcel
Bakker from Mobility Mixx in the Netherlands and Bart Desmedt
of Traject – Mobility Management In Belgium are convinced that
having an overview of your current situation and insight into cur-
rent visible and hidden costs like parking space and fines, admin-
istrative costs, etc. is elementary. “Ideally, a cost-benefit analysis
should be done from the point of view of different segments of
the employees population”, says Bart Desmedt. “For example, if
implementation needs acceptance and communication
the company car is part of certain employees’ salary packages,
a replacement package should offer an equal benefit. If parking
budgets are shifted to public transport, there should also be a
benefit or at least a status quo for the employees involved.”
Change takes time
When you have defined the mobility budget project, you have to
set clear but realistic targets. The chosen mobility options can
best be discussed with representatives of all relevant departments.
“The acceptance of these options should also be tested among the
target public, using concrete examples and calculations”, points
out Bart Desmedt of Traject – Mobility Management. His mobil-
ity colleague Ronald Van Lankveld of Fleet & Mobility Consul-
tancy confirms this in the nice formula “Effectiveness = Quality
X Acceptance”. kees Froeling of Conclusion points out that you
need to set limitations from the start, “but use today’s limits.”
There are four main pitfalls. Firstly, there are many stakeholders
and many employees who see the car as a sacred cow and the
new mobility budget can be seen as an uncertain situation. “So
involving them at an early stage and communicating openly is the
correct way to turn the mobility budget project into something
from themselves and not something imposed from above”, state
Paul Dam from Smart Leasing Maastricht-Bereikbaar and Marcel
Bakker from Mobility Mixx. Secondly, change management will
take time, so keeping the momentum is essential. “Stick to the
defined goals and don’t start by allowing exceptions for some
people”, says Michel Willems from Mobilitas, as this will decrease
the credibility of the whole project and create resistance from
other employees. Thirdly, be prudent with figures. “The worst
pitfall is to start with a budget in Euro’s without knowing the real
costs and benefits. Involving Euros can attract negative attention
from the management, unions etc.”, Minze Walvius tells us. Also
be aware of all possible fiscal consequences for employees and
the company. “But you also have to take productivity into account
and the cost saving of mobility alternatives.” Finally, no imple-
mentation without efficient monitoring.
Steven Schoefs
Successfully implementing a mobility budget demands a clear corporate strategy where stakeholders and employees want to go in the same direction.
Thinking about introducing a mobility budget is relatively easy, developing and implementing one is much more com-plex. People are used to the comfort of and freedom of the company car. The success of the implementation depends on understanding the objectives of the company, the acceptance of the employees to use alternative mobility and clear and transparent communication with employees and stakeholders.
smart mobility management - n°5 I 10
doSSier the mobility budget
How to manage and control the budget
The allocation of corporate mobility budgets is one
of the important market developments in corporate
business travel management. The management of
a corporate mobility budget takes the shape of
a “shared responsibility” where on the one hand
the role of the employer is to define the mobility budgets and
control compliance and where on the other hand the employees
can personally define and manage their transport requirements,
irrespective of whether this involves car, rail or other sustainable
transport solution(s). As such, this “partnership” should continu-
ously ensure business related mobility is a positive and produc-
tive experience where travelers’ needs are correctly balanced
with final cost implications says kees Froeling from Conclusion.
According to Minze Walvius from Advier the possibility for the
employee to personally select each journey reservation undeni-
ably contributes to the individual behavior change.
Complexity
According to Johan Serrien from Fleet Solutions, a professional
mobility management system must at least be able to manage
mobility packages and mobility contracts including procure-
ment, operating cost management, administration, inventory
information and performance monitoring. It must also be able
to manage the quality of imported data through automated
error handling. Developing, implementing and managing an
integrated corporate mobility budget – including travel and non
travel activities – certainly is a complex matter for any com-
pany’s operation. Mobility Budget Management ultimately is
about streamlining and monitoring the impact at three levels: on
employee productivity (efficiency), on company cost and on the
environment.
Productivity
Productivity is intimately linked to the initial assessment of the
necessity to travel as travelling for the wrong reasons immedi-
ately and simultaneously produces a cost and a loss of pro-
ductivity. To correctly assess and monitor productivity, there
Developing, implementing and managing an Integrated corporate mobility budget – includ-ing travel and non travel activities - is a complex matter for any company’s operation.
is a simultaneous need for a
professional travel request
module and a solid expenses
module. The travel module
must be built on a pre-
approval process based on
criteria tailored to the com-
pany’s mobility policy require-
ments and environmental
priorities. A sophisticated
automatic system associated
to a coherent mobility policy
must first encourage employ-
ees to think twice about
travel and entertainment
costs by giving online control
of travel patterns compared
to policy guidelines. The spirit
is one of minimizing unneces-
sary travel and reducing costs
while achieving business
objectives.
Cost
The cost element addresses
two levels – the costs of
the journey, and the costs
for processing (approval,
reimbursement and expense
reports). For Marcel Bakker
from Mobility Mixx and Paul
Dam from Mobility Concept,
continuous transparent insight
in the allowances, the costs
and the budget balance by
the employee is mandatory.
According to Patrick Billiet
smart mobility management - n°5 I 11
from MobileXpense, a state-of-the-art mobility budget monitor-
ing system enables a company to master the expense reimburse-
ment process, directly connected to the accounting system, com-
plying with local regulations and create processing cost savings
up to 65% compared to manual methods (as still used in many
organisations...) Even if for some alternative modes of transport
there are still a series of manual calculations and difficult param-
eters tracking to be made.
environment
From and environmental standpoint, a high-tech oriented mobi-
lity budget management system is able to check the scheduled
travel request and automatically propose the most appropriate
choice. BingMaps for example, says Patrick Billiet from MobileX-
pense, automatically calculates the distance between two loca-
tions and allows the system - in name of the line manager - to
propose to employees pre-defined transportation methods and
encourage alternative or multimodal travel options. A mobile
device manages their expense claims through a simple start-stop
click, automatically calculating and communicating the travelled
distance from a smart phone. For safety reasons, it also immedi-
ately tracks their location if needed and where appropriate.
Challenges
According to Alexander Prinssen from Fleet Solutions, an
advanced mobility budget management system, on top of being
fully integrated, must remain totally open and be built to accept
all types of reservation systems, new e-booking developments
and innovative mobile devices. Today, travel and non-travel
related activities still depend on multiple internal departments,
budgets, tools and cards. But fortunately, innovative integra-
tors start helping corporations to integrate fleet, fuel, travel and
credit card data. They also help design, implement and consoli-
date multi-country reporting. But as Bart Desmedt from Traject
stipulates, the multimodal mobility card, able to execute the
immediate payment of each type of transport is the major chal-
lenge currently being worked on. A full “one fits all” card will
probably never exist. As Michel Willems from Mobilitas suggest,
each corporation will have to decide for itself how far it wants
to push the “big brother” policy and create its own tailored
multimodal mobility card with a set of mobility methods and
suppliers in line with corporate policy and requirements.
Filip Van Mullem
Mobility budget management is a shared responsibility.
Automated system to deliver up to 65% processing cost savings.
smart mobility management - n°5 I 12
doSSier the mobility budget
More organizations are
now aiming to modify
their business related
mobility practices in an
effort to be more CSR
focused. It is clear for kees Froeling from
Conclusion that businesses allowing staff
to make their own travel / non-travel
decisions will be those more likely to
have happy employees who feel good
about themselves and the company they
work for. A Corporate Mobility Budget
concept simultaneously promotes flex-
ibility and shared responsibility. For Paul
Dam from Mobility Concept, the shared
responsibility facet involves a collabora-
tive approach between the employer and
the employee, creating a “Smart Mobility
Mindset and Culture” which are legiti-
mately CSR focused. On might advise
that because of this shared responsibility,
CSR should be labeled CISR – Corporate
& Individual Social Responsibility, as Cor-
porate Guidelines decided by manage-
ment are useless without the ultimate
individual commitment and implication
of the employee.
Culture
CSR is not just about “green travel”. For
the green budget
Corporate Social Responsi-bility (CSR) is a model that encourages businesses to voluntarily operate with consideration to society. It involves being responsible for the impacts of all busi-ness activities and ensur-ing the wellbeing of all staff.
Mobility Budget: good for People, Planet and Purse
Minze Walvius from Advier, a Mobility
Budget proposes a set of initiatives that
are good for employees, for those with
whom it does business through improved
hospitality and for the communities in
which it operates. The business needs to
embrace CSR holistically and to absorb
this into the travel / non-travel behavior.
CSR in Mobility is not achieved in isola-
tion, but by a collective mindset for the
benefit of all stakeholders. Education,
encouraging good behavior and reward-
ing commitment to CSR by acknowledg-
ing things such as compliance to the
travel policy are critical to success says
Marcel Bakker from Mobility Mixx.
Policy
To effectively make CSR a part of a
Smart Mobility Policy, Bart Desmedt from
Traject recommends that the strategic
business and cultural decisions ensure
corporate Smart Mobility provides an
increasing number of safe and comforta-
ble travel options relating to daily mobil-
ity. For Michel Willems from Mobilitas,
efficient planning of home-work, client
and business related traveling is essen-
tial. Continuously ensure business related
mobility is a positive and productive
travelers’ experience. Ensure you are risk-
averse in the Mobility Management by
providing access to technology enabling
to keep travelers well informed about all
aspects of business mobility options that
may impact their journey.
benefits
The benefits for society resulting from
a Mobility Budget approach are “planet
driven”. Minimising travel and select-
ing eco-friendly or multimodal travel
alternatives such as car sharing, public
transportation, bicycle, walking have an
important impact on the carbon footprint
reduction. The benefits for employees
are more linked to wellbeing as they
include, according to Johan Serrien from
Fleet Solutions, flexibility for the choice
of mobility modes, financial upsides as
a consequence of making smart choices
leading to a final attractive remuneration
package. For the employer, on top of
motivated employees, a Mobility Budget
brings transparency in the administrative
processes, a high degree of cost control
and true contribution towards sustain-
ability.
Filip Van Mullem
smart mobility management - n°5 I 13
tracking the tools
One of the main obstacles to start with a mobility approach is the burden of extra admin-istration and the difficulty to guarantee a smooth management of the selected variety of mobility solutions. If your organisation is large enough, you could perhaps create a management tool in-house, but not everyone has enough internal resources to do so. You can also look what is available on the market. And today unfortunately the offer still lacks maturity and geographical coverage.
When you can keep the management of your
mobility budget in-house, as for example Bel-
gacom Group does (see page 36), you gain
complete control over the initiative and the
budget. But you need mobility expertise and
solid financial resources to invest an important amount of money
to manage this new mobility approach. According to Ronald Van
Lankveld of Fleet & Mobility Consultancy it can be easier and
more effective to work with a third party providing substantial
support to the employer and employees linked to administration
and management of mobility services. Whilst Ronald confirms
that today’s offer is insufficient, he believes the future looks posi-
tive and promising as more and more consultancy companies
have started developing mobility tools to enhance the organi-
zation and management of efficient mobility. The main current
challenge is the accurate calculation of the costs relating to the
different mobility alternatives and a comprehensive translation
into the mobility budget for the employee. Today, there seems to
be two different types of mobility support by third parties.
mobility advice
First there is the classic consultancy approach where advice is
offered to start a mobility initiative where sensitive matters are
approached such as setting up a transparent communication with
employees and stakeholders, defining realistic targets consistent
with the corporate strategy and creating guidelines to respect
achievable timing. At Conclusion, kees Froeling confirms that
the subsidiary Conclusion Green Consultants is called in to set
up a balanced mobility policy. Traject provides mobility advice to
institutional organisations and corporate customers, developing a
global vision on traffic and mobility with a focus on mobility plans
including tailor made transport systems.
mobility management
The second type of mobility consultancy promotesa more in-
depth approach, delivering management software tools for mobil-
ity managers to precisely follow-up the mobility use by employ-
ees, related costs and benefits. Most of them are local tools as the
cross-border integration of mobility services is still too complex
or even impossible to set up. One of the current active manage-
ment providers is BUPP, a web-based platform used by Advier
in the Netherlands, to manage location access by budgeting the
use of facilities such as parking, park and ride, buses... Paul Dam,
Smart Leasing Maastricht-Bereikbaar : “For the pilot Smart
Leasing, Maastricht-Bereikbaar commissioned Mobility Concept
to take care of the web-based mobility services and the project
management.”
In this area, international corporate clients expect a lot from the
leasing companies. Indeed they are seen as potentially one of the
most efficient new mobility services facilitators, acting as single
point of contact for the customer in combination with the classic
car leasing. By offering integrated mobility services and solutions
to manage a mobility budget there is an opportunity to create a
competitive advantage. Athlon Car Lease is one of the first leas-
ing companies concentrating on the wider range of these mobility
services. Concerning the definition and the implementation of the
mobility project the Group launched the division Athlon Mobility
Consultancy, supported by daughter company Fleet Solutions for
the day-to-day management. It is clear that the existing smart
and integrated mobility services offers still need to grow in recog-
nition, volume, players and maturity to become really efficient and
valuable to all of us.
Steven Schoefs
Employees opting for a mobility budget instead of a classic company car often receive a mobility card for easy access to different types of mobility.
MOBILITY CONSULTANTS
> ADVieR - www.advier.nlMinze Walvius - Director/Owner and Owner Stichting Managing Mobility - [email protected]
> CONCluSiON - www.conclusion.nlkees Froeling, Solution Manager The New World of Work - [email protected]
> FleeT & MOBiliTy CONSulTANCy - www.mobiliteitexpert.nlRonald Van Lankveld, Owner - [email protected]
> MOBiliTy CONCePT - www.mobilityconcept.nlPaul Dam, Project Manager Pilot Smart Leasing - [email protected]
> MOBiliTAS - www.mobilitas.beMichel Willems, CEO - [email protected]
> MOBiliTy Mixx - www.mobilitymixx.nlMarcel Bakker, Commercial Manager - [email protected]
> MOBilexPeNSe - www.mobilexpense.comPatrick Billiet, CEO - [email protected]
> TRAJeCT - www.traject.beBart Desmedt, Managing Director - [email protected]
smart mobility management - n°5 I 14
smart mobility management - n°5 I 15
smart mobility management - n°5 I 16
doSSier the mobility budget
OUR COMMUNITY ON
ABOUT THE MOBILITY BUDGET
Daniel nijsten, Sr buyer “CSR & Environment are motiva-tors for the employees to opt for a company car. However, for the company, it’s mainly a case of cost optimisation, isn’t it?”
Friso metz, Senior advisor at KpVV “Company cars are popular,but a mobility budget is popular as well. So it’s an attractive HR tool. Also, it fits well with corporate respon-sibility schemes, as it promotes the use of smaller, eco-friendlier cars and more sustainable modes of transport. In the end, it could save costs, especially as it could solve parking problems. Parking places are extremely precious, so any reduction in the need for parking spaces is inter-esting for companies.” “52 Dutch companies presented a report on mobility budgets to the State Secretary of Finance. It has been received well, and the Finance Ministry will see how they can implement its fiscal recommenda-tions in the 2013 Tax regime. See the following article and report (Dutch only)” http://www.slimwerkenslimreizen.nl/index.html?artikel_ID=925&loc1=2&soc1=2&art=2&art=2&leesverder=925&naam=Nieuws&#abc925
manish Garg, research analyst at Frost & Sullivan “Look-ing at the current euro crisis, I’d say that to introduce a mobility budget is a means to optimise cost for a company. Rather than leasing new vehicles, companies look towards corporate car-sharing schemes for short business trips, thus dissuading their employees from using personal vehi-cles for the same. At the same time, there’s also the con-cern for the environment. Less CO
2-emitting vehicles = Less
company car taxation.” Ann Massart, Marketing & Commu-nication manager at Alphabet Belgium “According to me, a company car firstly is an important tool for retention and motivation within a global HR policy. Of course, the envi-ronment and efficient mobility go hand in hand with this, and should be linked by a sensible car policy, matching with the company culture. The key to achieve this, is finding the right fleet supplier who understands your company needs.”
alexander rahe, managing Director at solariz enterprise Group “CSR & Environment are my favourite motivators. The savings are welcome as well and with a tool that can track and report this, my company is prepared.”
Johannes berg, Consultant at WSP “The Dutch slim reizen website has a database with best practice in mobility budg-ets http://www.slimreizen.nl.” Join our LinkedIn Commu-nity Smart Mobility Management and share your expertise, your questions and your best practices !
What would be the major reason for your company to introduce a mobility budget scheme for employees?
Results of LinkedIn Poll ended on February 5th 2012. Total votes: 56.
Travel/ traffic optimization: 27%
Cost optimization: 34%
HR & motivation: 20%
CSR & environment: 20%
Caroline Thonnon
Mobility Management application from Fleet SupportMobility Budgets are increasingly popular. Last May, a Dutch study showed that drivers prefer a flexible range of appropri-ate transport modes to a classic company car. But such flex-ibility competes with the anxiety that paperwork will increase. In order to transition to a Mobility Budget, the Dutch fleet man-agement company Fleet Support is working on an application that will reduce the paperwork to a minimum. The application will also allow to work on cost control, risk analysis and report-ing. (Source: AgentschapNL, own reporting)
radiuz launches card for Mobility Budget Dutch mobility provider Radiuz has just unveiled its first Mobil-ity Budget card. Radiuz Total Mobility will enable travellers to determine which mode of transport is most appropriate for the trip they’re about to make. The Radiuz card will allow flexible switching between train, tram, bus, bicycle, scooter, taxi, etc. No longer will it be necessary to buy different types of jour-ney passes - always a more expensive option. Wantogo, the company behind the Radiuz card, happily assists the traveller in his choice of transport. The Radiuz App allows you to enter the start and finish of any given journey. Taking into account such variables as expected departure and arrival, duration, cost, CO
2 emissions, the number of transfers, the app then selects
the optimal voyage. Via monthly bills, the user receives an easy overview of the cost incurred. The manager can consult all travel times and connected data online. He can even check how envi-ronmentally friendly the user’s trips have been.
Mobility Budget gets aLd Mobility award
For the first time ever, Dutch leasing company ALD Auto-motive has awarded a prize for mobility. The winner of this first ALD Mobility Award was Mn Services, a pension administration and asset management company. Mn Services received the prize for its set of mobility meas-ures and for its adoption of a Mobility Budget. Apart from the award itself, the com-pany also received an elec-tric bike by Suzuki. The ALD
Mobility Award will celebrate companies with a future-oriented mobility policy, and inspire others to follow in their footsteps. Mn Services won this first award because of its “mobility range, which comprises innovative measures that are well aligned to benefit both the employer and the employee”, the jury report reads. Mn Services encourages the use of e-scooters and e-bikes, and offers its employees a Mobility Budget.
“We want this prize to serve not just as a reward for one company, but as a platform for all companies to exchange ideas about achieving best practice in the field of mobility”, says Carel Bal, ALD Automotive’s general director.
News
smart mobility management - n°5 I 17
Mobistar is a subsidiary
of France Telecom. It
already offers attrac-
tive mobility solutions
to its employees. The
about 850 Mobistar employees with a
company car can opt for the classic for-
mula, or for a payout of the car budget
(with tax paid on the gross amount).
Another option is to choose a smaller-
scale car, combined with a subscription
to the entire public transport system
(train, tram, subway, bus). Furthermore,
the fuel card for the company car can
also be used to refuel a motorbike, if
it is used for commuting. Finally, all
employees enjoy free public transport
into work, can use a folding bike if they
give up their parking spot, and have
shared cars and shared bicycles at their
disposal.
Why a mobility budget for mobistar?
Karel boussu: “Lots of Belgian employ-
ees get a company car to sidestep the
high tax on earnings. The company will
assign a certain amount for this to each
of those slated to drive a company car.
What we’re noticing, is that the entire
amount will be spent on the car itself,
even though that is not necessary,
strictly speaking. But that’s understand-
able: What you get, you use. To have
the employee use his or her mobility
budget in a more realistic and sensible
way, you need to propose alternatives
to allocate the remaining budget. You
could consider paying out that amount,
or you could opt to offer a mix of other
MobistarPrior conditions are lacking o start with a Mobility Budget
Companies that are willing to adopt a Mobility Budget, are often prevented from doing so by fiscal and administrative circumstances. One such company is Mobistar, one of Belgium’s telecommunications specialists. Karel Boussu, Hospita-lity Manager at Mobistar, explains the obstacles between wish and reality.
modes of transport, or you could offer
fringe benefits. A Mobility Budget will
let the employees decide themselves
how to spend an allocated budget. This
will increase employee satisfaction. In
the Netherlands, take out is a well-
established system, completed with a
Mobility Card exists. This card is a mode
of payment: a budget is deposited onto
it, and the employee uses it to pay for
using a shared car, a city bike, public
transport, etc.”
So why not yet mobility budget in
belgium?
Karel boussu: “Neither our fiscal legisla-
tion on benefits in kind, nor our social
legislation, nor our insurance adminis-
tration are ready for a Mobility Budget
in Belgium. A mixed-use approach to
mobility implies a mixed system of
taxation on benefits in kind, implies a
separate follow-up of insurance, etc. But
the relevant government administrations
don’t know how to deal with such a mix
of mobility services. The necessary regu-
lations are simply not there. In Flanders,
a group called Mobiel21 is trying to get
some companies to start a pilot project -
but even with the support of the Flemish
government, the plan is dead-ending
on the aforementioned administrative
problems. First and foremost, we’ll have
to wait for measures by the federal Bel-
gian government. Only then can we start
thinking about a real start for Budget
Mobility.”
Steven Schoefs
Neither our fiscal legislation on benefits in kind, nor our social legislation, nor our insurance administration are ready for a Mobility Budget in Belgium”, says Karel Boussu, Hospitality Manager at Mobistar.
smart mobility management - n°5 I 18
Maastricht-bereikbaar Smart leasing pilot in the Netherlands
doSSier the mobility budget
Maastricht-Bereikbaar offers a range of prod-
ucts and services which make it easier for
commuters, visitors and truck drivers to work
and travel smart.
Under the Maastricht-Bereikbaar banner,
governments, employers, and mobility service providers
work together to keep Maastricht and its suburbs accessible.
Maastricht-Bereikbaar stimulates structural changes to the
travelling and working behaviour of commuters, visitors, and
truck drivers. It also offers products and services which will
help you travel and work smart.
Cofely Zuidoost
Frank Mulleneers, HR Manager Cofely Zuidoost: “We at Cofely
are excited about this initiative and very interested in the
outcome of this pilot. This process will give our people more
insight into their mobility behaviour. We as an employer will
be able to gain experience in alternative ways of dealing with
mobility issues. I’m personally also participating in the pilot,
and right from the start I noticed I was more conscious of the
question of why I need to travel. I also consider whether tak-
ing my car is necessary, both for business and personal trips.
The usefulness or necessity of mobility depends to a great
extent on psychology.”
new mobility calls for new ways to lease
The existing forms of leasing do not offer much freedom of
choice. It’s “one size fits all” for lease drivers. These ways of
leasing don’t encourage smart choices like selecting smaller
and more fuel-efficient cars, driving economically, and using
inexpensive fuel. In addition, the costs for business travel on
public transport are often not reimbursed. Employers have
almost no influence on the costs and environmental impact of
lease cars.
Frank Mulleneers (Cofely): “We are excited about this initiative and very interested in the outcome of this pilot. This process will give our people more insight into their mobility behaviour.”
A smarter way to adapt mobility to the needs of individual employees is being piloted by lease drivers in the South Limburg region in the Netherlands. During 2012, lease drivers will be able to make their own decisions about their mobility. Their employers will gain experience in working with personal mobility budgets and help shape the Smart Leasing concept in more detail.
smart mobility management - n°5 I 19
New ways of working, sustainability, new forms of mobility, a
new generation of employees, and different travel needs: all
of this strengthens the demand for more modern forms of
leasing. Lease drivers ought to be able to have flexibility and
to choose the travel solution which fits their personal situation
and budget, or even the particular day of the week. Employ-
ers want to meet the wishes of their employees, but the costs
have to be manageable. And it should not cost any extra time.
Personal mobility budget
A personal mobility budget gives lease drivers control over
the costs. It allows them to tailor their mobility to their own
needs.
The mobility budget compares to a bank account, with reim-
bursements and expenses. Each month a fixed amount will be
transferred to the account, and in addition lease drivers will
receive a variable amount per journey, to cover fuel and other
costs. Employees who carpool or use public transport will
also receive a variable amount as reimbursement. This means
that the budget changes to reflect travelling behaviour.
The cost of using the lease car will be deducted from the
budget, as will the costs for using other methods of trans-
port, such as the train, bicycle sharing, taxis, and car sharing.
Lease drivers can have an influence on their own mobility
costs. The choice of travel method, the choice of lease car
and the way it is used, the driving style and the fuel costs all
determine the mobility budget.
Lease drivers will be able to access a personal webpage to
see changes to their budget and account. This means that
reimbursements and expenses are completely transparent.
Paul Dam
ABOUT MAASTRICHT-BEREIkBAARMaastricht-Bereikbaar has a range of products and services. Over the next few years, the range of services will be extended:
> Extra Park+Ride locations outside the city.
> Transportation from Park+Ride locations during rush hour and on high-traffic days.
> Travel advice via www.maastricht-bereikbaar.nl, Twitter account @naarMaastricht and signs with up-to-date traffic and parking information along the side of the road.
> A mobile version of the www.maastricht-bereikbaar.nl website.
> An “in-car” application with parking information.
> Various pilots, including one which will allow municipal employees to gain experience with The New Way of Working.
TRAVEL SMART, WORk SMARTTravelling smart will reduce the number of cars on the roads and highways, particularly during rush hour. There are alternatives to taking your car, such as making the journey by bicycle or using public transport. But there are also other possibilities, such as travelling outside rush hour or carpooling.In addition, many companies offer their employees the option of working from home a few hours or days per week, avoiding a commute altogether. Working independently of time and place like this is called The New Way of Working.
Maastricht-Bereikbaar stimulates structural changes to the travelling and working behaviour of commuters, visitors, and truck drivers. It also offers products and services which will help you travel and work smart.
smart mobility management - n°5 I 20
Strategy low carbon aviation
European union emissions trading Scheme
The best way to create a low carbon aviation sector
has been brought sharply into focus with avia-
tion emissions entering the EU ETS in 2012. The
outcome - emission reduction though the most
efficient means - is laudable.
Policy makers have an unenviable role to satisfy the voices of
disparate stakeholders whilst finding a solution that ensures
the natural environment on which business relies is effectively
sustained.
GBTA’s position on emissions reduction, through its sustain-
ability project, ICARUS, is not driven by altruism. Emissions
management goes hand in hand with operational efficiency.
Organisations’ today are being impacted by changes to our
natural environment, whether through legislation to protect the
environment, taxation to stimulate efficiencies or the physical
impacts of degraded environments on business operations.
Increasing demand for oil and resource pressure will inevitably
lead to rising costs, price volatility and market uncertainty.
Uncertainty does not create the environment for business
investment and innovation.
The twin challenge
A global challenge like climate change and effective resource
management requires a global solution. The aviation sector is
one of very few sectors that operates in a truly global context.
Its global nature can be its strength. By operating collabora-
tively at a global level and harnessing the strength of global
innovation a global solution can be created.
There could also be unintended consequences in taking a
fragmented, regional approach. There is risk that collaborate
efforts to achieve the right solution at a global level could be
constrained by regionalized activity, and competing or conflict-
ing agendas.
The aviation sector has responded to the twin challenge of
rising prices and environmental regulation by investing in
fuel and emissions efficiency measures. Manufacturers have
invested in fuel efficient aircraft design, research in alternative
fuels has led to bio fuels trails and a focus on carbon efficiency
has led to operational changes that have reduced fuel costs
and emissions.
Good legislation creates a space that incentivises innovation
and stimulates joined up thinking amongst regulators and busi-
ness. The business community can benefit from the stick but
there a place for the carrot: especially when times are hard.
The news early this year that a European carrier was halt-
ing its use of biofuels due to supply issues demonstrates the
importance of joining up policy drivers with the research and
development and ensuring supply chains are able to respond
to demand. At a time when emissions from aviation enter the
EU ETS a low emissions fuel is not available.
The ETS creates regulation by regional airspace rather than
global airspace. The discussion about changes to airspace
management in Europe and the resulting emissions efficiencies
that this could lead to is now brought sharply into focus.
Jonathan Green
Good legislation creates a space that incentivises innovation and stimulates joined up thinking amongst regulators and business.
Jonathan Green, GBTA ICARUS Europe.
Transport is more dependent on oil than any other sector. The long term viability of the transport sector and, in turn, successful inter-connected global economies demands improved fuel efficiency and diversification of (fuel) supply across the transport sector.
smart mobility management - n°5 I 21
smart mobility management - n°5 I 22
Strategy Smart Mobility Event
Move to integrated Mobility !On March 15th, Smart Mobility Management is organising the first international event on Integrated Mobility in Brussels. Join us to share experiences and to shape the future of a new world of work and mobility.
The future is increasingly determined by new mobil-
ity. Consider the broad range of possibilities offered
to corporate staff, the car, the train, the airplane, the
bicycle, the bus, the metro... Not to mention virtual
conferencing for those who decide not to travel.
And consider what’s at stake: speed, comfort, environment,
employee efficiency, and, of course, the bottom line. It’s not
just about fleet, travel, meeting and conferences - it’s about a
completely new way of integrating and managing all mobility
related solutions in an economically-complex environment that
represents major challenges and extraordinary opportunities.
Both at the level of international operating corporations and the
level of mobility suppliers and their offering.
7leARNiNG
OPPORTuNiTieSDefine a Mobility Strategy & Policy
implement, measure and report
Define when to more or not
Optimize Corporate Mobility costs & CSR
Maximize efficiency for drivers & travelers
Smart Communication Technology
Mobility suppliers, solutions,
innovations
iMPORTANT BeNeFiTS Get access to quality information & ideasuse peers as sounding boards Share best practices with key achievers Generate new professional relationshipsGet recognition for your achievementsemerge as a pioneer and leaderBecome a mentor to someone
Benefit from valuable information and knowledge presented by industry leaders
15 & 16 March
smart mobility management - n°5 I 23
Share best practices with experts and innovate with key achievers
PROGRAMMe Move to integrated Mobility
9:00 Welcome
9:30 Opening speech and introduction by Caroline Thonnon (Nexus Communication)
9:40 Smart Mobility Management: a unique media platform to promote International Integrated Corporate Mobility Solutions - by Caroline Thonnon & Filip Van Mullem (Nexus Communication)
10:00 European Commission and mobility - by Sylvain Haon - Executive Director - Polis
10:20 From Fleet to Mobility Management - by Giovanni Tortorici - Manager - Barilla
10:40 From Travel to Mobility Management - by Torbjorn Erling - Meeting & Travel Manager - Ikea (tbc)
11:00 Coffee break and networking
11:15 Integrated Mobility Management - Case Study - by Bernard Dehaye - Coordinator Mobility, Environment & Sustainable Development - Dexia
11:35 Mobility Integrators: who will take the lead? - by Martyn Briggs - Consultant - Frost & Sullivan
12:00 The New World of Work - by Jasha Dix-Huijts - Strategist - kPN
12:20 The New Office – corporate solutions – by Andrew Brown - Group Communications Director - Regus
12:40 Smart Work Centers and the impact on mobility – by Bas Boorsma - Head, Work Life Innovations Program – Cisco Systems
13:00 Wrap up – by Filip Van Mullem (Nexus Communication)
13:10 Networking lunch and sponsors’ interview – by Steven Schoefs (Nexus Communication)
14:30 THINk TANk with international decision makers and mobility suppliersModerator: Donatello Piras
Workshop 1 - Defining a mobility policy and implementing a mobility strategy
- How to make the shift to a real integrated mobility strategy? - How to optimize overall mobility costs and CSR? - How to maximize efficiency for the drivers and travelers within your organization?
WORKSHOP 1. Selection and sourcing of mobility solutions
- How suppliers fulfill the needs for mobility solutions - What is the availability of integrated mobility solutions and is still to be developed?
16:45 Closing remarks
REGISTER TO THE SMART MOBILITY FORUMRegistrations: http://www.smart-mobilitymanagement.com/sme
Registration fee: 350 euro
important: the event is limited to 120 participants
R e G i S T e R
smart mobility management - n°5 I 24smart mobility management - n°5 I 24smart mobility management - n°5 I 24
Use peers as sounding boards and get recognition for your achievements
Strategy Smart Mobility Event
March 16th – implementing a mobility budgetWho should attend? international decision makers in :
> Mobility > HR
> Fleet > Finance
> Travel & meeting > Purchasing & procurement
> ICT > Facility
REGISTER TO THE SMART MOBILITY INSTITUTERegistrations: http://www.smart-mobilitymanagement.com/sme
Registration fee: 495 euro (including free access to the Smart Mobility Forum on March 15th)
important: the event is limited to 25 participants and is exclusively reserved for customers.
R e G i S T e R
Exchange valuable information and gather innovative ideas from various industries
Smart Mobility AwardThe Smart Mobility Award for Innovation will be handed
over to a supplier having recently developed and mar-
keted a product, service or tool which helps corporations
significantly improve the implementation or management
of Integrated Mobility Policies. The submitted cases must
show concrete impacts on the essential objectives of
Smart Mobility: employee efficiency, cost optimisation and
improved carbon footprint.
THe NOMiNeeS ARe...
> Alphabet: AlphaCity – Corporate CarSharing
> Athlon Mobility Consultancy: MoMaS (Mobility Management System)
> Carpooling.com: carpooling.com
> Co-Maker: Mobility Platform
> Daimler/europca: Car2Go
> Thalys, Jet Airways, Brussels Airlines, Brussels Airport: A new stage in air-rail intermodality
> ViM: Co-Car
Discover the nominated projects on www.smart-mobility-management.com/sme
The projects will be evaluated by an international jury com-posed of decision makers in corporations.
Melchior Wathelet, Belgian Secretary of State for Environ-ment, Energy and Mobility will attend the event to reward the most innovative supplier in Smart Mobility Management.
Smart Mobility instituteA unique training session for international decision makersThe Smart Mobility Institute is a neutral training session
for international corporate decision makers and provides a
platform for exchanging expertise and best practices. The
Institute helps decision makers to implement and manage
a smart mobility strategy and helps to bring the market to
maturity. The Smart Mobility Institute provides a voice to
the mobility, fleet, travel, IT and communication industry
and expresses the needs of corporations to move to Smart
Mobility Management and the requests to industry’s players.
it’S Not ABout WHo you KNoWBut WHo KnoWS you!From multimodal to international, Smart Mobility Management is developing at fast speed, involving many different players active in multiple industries such as fleet, travel, iT, technology and integrated mobility services.
Register now and be published immediately online as well as in the printed version coming out in April 2012.
www.smart-mobilitymanagement.com/directory
To help our readers and partners identify “who is who”, we have developed a powerful directory tool able to present in a clear and complete way the leading companies and latest products and services.
For suppliers and manufacturers active within the mobility related categories presented in the blue box, this directory is a unique opportunity to become highly visible to 37,000+ corporate decision makers across the world.
> Business travel services> Car manufacturers> Car rental> Car sharing> Lease & Fleet Management> IT & communication,> Online mobility service,> Parking > Rail> Smart work centers,> Telematics & navigation> Travel expense management> Virtual conferencing
smart mobility management - n°5 I 26
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smart mobility management - n°5 I 27
Strategy Carpooling
Catching a ride
Carpooling is nothing
new. Catching a ride to a
popular destination has
been part of the game
since the very first human
means of transport were introduced.
Today carpooling is gaining momentum
at an accelerated pace thanks to many
factors. Congested cities, global warm-
ing, increased connectivity, technologi-
cal innovations and the proliferation of
social networks form the ideal breeding
ground for alternative mobility solutions.
People no longer need their individual
car, they’d rather travel in an efficient
way to their destination.
european initiative
Carpooling.com offers exactly that
in the form of a ridesharing platform
covering 9 countries (so far). In Austria,
France, Germany, Greece, Italy, Poland,
Unlocking the idling capacity of cars sounds like an almost unrealistic form of mobility. Europe’s biggest carpooling network, www.carpooling.com, seems however to have found a straightforward solution to this enormous economic and ecologic challenge. Too good to be true?
Spain, Switzerland and the Uk drivers
and passengers can book and offer rides
to literally any destination, more than
5,000 cities in 45 countries. Combine
this enormous potential with the pos-
sibility of choosing how much space an
comfort you need, an innovative “score-
board” indicating how safe, punctual
and correct your passenger/driver is and
a comprehensive cost calculator and it
isn’t hard to understand why until now
almost 3.5 million users are registered
resulting in more than 600,000 trans-
port opportunities a day and 1 million
people transported every month.
It goes without saying that this carpool-
ing network is not solely meant for indi-
viduals, people sharing a workplace can
easily optimize their trip to and from
their job by carpooling. Drivers reduce
their cost, passengers improve their
mobility and all enjoy an economically
and ecologically responsible form of
peer-to-peer transport. Carpooling.com
The mobile app of carpooling.com is downloaded 15,000 times a month: proof
that Europe’s biggest carpooling network is expanding at great speed.
HOW DOES IT WORk?> surf to www.carpooling.com
> complete the free registration
> find and book rides to 5,000 cities in 45 countries
> pick a driver/passenger you want to travel with on basis of shared interests, how much space an comfort you need, what you want to pay, user ratings, specific criteria, etc.
> enjoy the trip
> rate your driver/passenger(s)
even sells white label solutions for com-
panies which allow their employees to
carpool to work and as such save money
for travel expenses. On top op that the
set-up of Europe’s biggest carpooling
network guarantees an easy combina-
tion with any way of public transport
imaginable.
Dirk Steyvers
smart mobility management - n°5 I 28
smart mobility management - n°5 I 29
Strategy taxation
Smart Mobility needs Smart taxation
Today’s density of traffic in some urban areas, the cost of mobility and the envi-ronment are driving us to consider other options for our mobility than the “your freedom” car. Extra incentives could convince those in doubt. The government can play an important role by using taxes as a policy instrument, a proven con-cept to influence consumer behavior.
Most mobility modes
have their taxes; we tax
cars, either company
cars or private cars used
for professional pur-
poses, we have a tax regime for public
transport, for biking to work, company
bikes, company scooters, for car pool-
ing, organized common commuter traf-
fic, etc…. Immediately by saying this, we
expose two challenges; to understand
all these rules and the impact of them.
Furthermore, what if the company is
providing a variable combination of
these mobility solutions? Are taxes
cumulative, so actually discouraging
people from changing mobility habits?
Can taxes for one mobility mean be
offset against bonuses given for other
environmental friendly means of trans-
port like bicycles? What if the company
throws extra pension savings, extra holi-
days, etc… into the equation? It takes a
lot of knowledge and insight, even judg-
ing on common sense rather than clear
rules to measure the impact of taxation
on multi mobility solutions.
Total Cost of mobility
It is important for car fleets to consider
the full TCM, including all tax effects,
certainly in those countries that have
linked car taxes to CO2-emissions.
Even more, it is important to take into
account the tax effect of choices of
mobility modes into the mobility cost or
budget in order to get a) full insight in
Taking taxes into account will ensure that mobility solutions get the correct balance
in the mobility budget.
the real cost of mobility and b) to have
the full effect of the policy influencing
effect of taxes set by the government
for certain means of mobility.
For the employer it is important to know
the full cost of mobility in order to take
the correct investment choices. Taxes
may be an important part in these cost
calculations since they may influence
employers to facilitate and incentivize
certain means of mobility taking into
account their strategic objectives in
terms of CSR, HR and profit.
For employees, taxes, or no taxes, and
the effect of these on mobility budgets,
are certainly influencers. Employees
do react on taxes and tax incentives
may change long lasting behavior. If
the employer is providing a level of
freedom of choice of mobility means,
clearly employees will maximize output
from their mobility budget. Taking
taxes into account will ensure that
mobility solutions get the correct bal-
ance in the mobility budget. A car is
more expensive than the lease or rental
cost and a company bike can have a
lower cost after taxes than the lease or
rental cost of the bike because of tax
incentives.
Therefore it is critical that a proper
mobility budget takes taxes and their
impact into account.
In the coming months we will provide
you more insights in the applicable
rules in a number of countries including
effects and impact. To be continued and
clarified….
Bart Vanham
BVH Consulting - car and mobility
taxation expert
smart mobility management - n°5 I 30
Mission possible: optimising mobility costs
CaSe StudieS Rexel
Reducing mobility costs by 20% over the next three years: that’s the goal Rexel has set itself. Jean-Noël Gouillou, who heads indirect procurement at Rexel, the distributor of electrical materials, sees three axes for optimising mobility costs: travel, company cars and new technologies.
Jean-Noël Gouillou, Rexel’s director of indirect procurement, has a mission: to reduce mobility costs through optimised processes.
smart mobility management - n°5 I 31
Last autumn, Jean-Noël
Gouillou presented all
37 countries where the Rexel
group has a presence with
his plan to optimise mobility
costs. The plan was ambitious - and pre-
cise: to achieve 20% savings over three
years, 1/5 of the total would be saved
in 2012, 1/2 in 2013 and the rest in 2014.
And how? By implementing common
tools, solutions and processes, shared
between HQ and the subsidiaries.
Three axes
“We will work on three major axes”,
says Gouillou, Rexel’s director for
indirect procurement. “Travel, company
cars, and new technologies. The latter
includes solutions in the fields of ICT,
telepresence and videoconference.”
Step 1: Travel “Until now, each business unit and each
subsidiary had its particular procedures
to deal with business travel. We will
harmonise procedures at Group level,
rationalise them at the local level, and
propose alternatives whenever pos-
sible.”
“This will largely be a matter of policy
and process measures. We’ll be working
along with the HR and Finance depart-
ments to reach global objectives.”
“We’ve identified three specific levers
to achieve this. The first lever is the
introduction of online travel booking.
This should give management a tool to
challenge the perceived necessity of
business trips, and propose videocon-
ferences instead. The second lever is
the implementation of payment cards,
eliminating paper invoicing in favour of
100% electronic billing. And the third
one, finally, is the introduction of an
online expenses tool. This will allow us
to assemble all costs associated with
travel and analyse them, to improve cost
optimisation.”
Step 2: Telepresence “In parallel with our travel cost analysis,
we’re working on telepresence solu-
tions to use first as a service. Rexel is
already using Genesys for web confer-
encing in almost all the countries that
we’re present in. The idea is to provide
our managers with the opportunity to
propose alternatives via telepresence,
after having analysed travel costs. Tata
Communication and Regus are already
offering interesting alternatives.” “The
success of telepresence and video
conferencing will depend on their
acceptance by our staff. That’s why
we’re developing policies that will help
them to define their options clearly, and
to avoid the stress of travelling. We will
add how-to guides to these policies. For
it is not enough simply to have a con-
tract with suppliers of these technolo-
gies, it’s essential to change corporate
culture and create an environment in
which solutions and alternatives are
positively encouraged.”
Step 3: Company cars “The final element is the cost optimisa-
tion of company cars. The ever-evolving
technology can and must help us
support our subsidiaries in making the
right decisions locally. Our centralised
sourcing tool will enable us to assist in
the quoting process, and help identify
the real cost of each quoted vehicle.”
REXEL Rexel is a global leader in the distribution of electrical supplies, and is present on all continents. The group operates in 37 countries, with a network of some 2,100 branches, and employs 28,000 people. Originally French, the company now realises 80% of its annual turnover of 12 billion Euros abroad. Rexel provides innovative solutions and services for professional clients to improve comfort, performance, and energy efficiency. With expertise in the industrial, commercial and residential construction markets, the Group offers end-to-end electrical solutions and services that are helping its customers conserve the world’s energy resources.
“This process must be expanded so
that each subsidiary can optimise their
current catalogue, with targets for
CO2 and fuel consumption, based on
job grade.” “After this, we’ll continue
to work with leasing companies and
manufacturers, challenging their per-
formance on a continuous basis. We’re
keeping a close watch on the evolution
of engine technology. As soon as new
engine models come to market, we’ll
make related quotations available to
our subsidiaries. This will allow them to
always have the best-performing cars
at their disposal. And that’s important,
since these cars will remain in service
for three years.”
The start: analysis and measurement
“Our subsidiaries have different degrees
of maturity. What matters, is a level play-
ing field, and that implies that analysis
and measurement are crucial. Finance,
HR and Logistics need to work together
to increase awareness across the entire
Group. The policies need to be consist-
ent, so that everyone knows what’s
expected of them within the relevant
parameters.” “Rexel works with lessors
that have references. They’re already
working in auction-based systems, and
are able to guide us through the impact
our choices will have. Guidance of the
quoting process in the field of indirect
procurement is routed through the
central tool, and each country will have
a visible presence in this system.” “The
tool, which we already have, allows for a
transparency of indicators on both the
corporate and local levels. About 80%
of business is in the hands of selected
lessors who provide us with detailed
reports. Rexel then makes the decisions.
Challenging full service approach with
smart mobility management - n°5 I 32
REXEL, RESULTS AND MOBILITY
- Fleet management:
- Total fleet: 7,400 (of which 5,300 cars, 1,300 vansand 800 trucks).
- Percentage of employees with a company car: almost 20%.
- Personnel tasked with fleet management: approximately 40 (in shared, part-time responsibility).
- Travel management Percentage of employees effecting business travel: about 1/3
- Organisation Mobility is handled locally, in every individual country. However, the Group provides solutions and tools in cooperation with third parties, through framework agreements, to optimise these activities.
GEOGRAPHIC DIVERSIFICATION
> North America 29%
> Europe 58%
> Asia-Pacific 10%
> Latin America 2%
> Other 1%
CaSe StudieS Rexel
lessors is the best way to compare projected and actual cost,
both reducing number of suppliers and internal administrative
processes “Because unless you’re able to compare the price in
theory with the cost in practice, there’s no point. We need to
ensure through tools on a common platform that we all work
with the same reliable, well-measured data.”
Think global, act local
“The worldwide procurement department helps national sub-
sidiaries make the best possible choice. We take into account
national differences, but the solutions are in effect truly inter-
national.” “We don’t necessarily have full-time travel managers
or fleet managers in all of our countries. They’re often multi-
tasking, and don’t always master all details. That is where we
come in. We facilitate their job. Achieving the benchmark is the
buyer’s job. Analysis helps us make better decisions..”
alternative mobility
“We ask our suppliers - whom we consider to be true partners -
to propose alternatives. Whether it’s car-sharing, contracts that
combine travel by car and by train, or other options. Maybe
it’s more useful to make an electric car available at a certain
location rather than systematically using taxis. But again, that
depends on the analysis. Unless and until we have useful data,
we can’t make the right choices. The alternatives will be born
of the solutions and measures that we’ll be setting up.” “We
don’t want to consider mobility as a marketing exercise, with
some actions added for good measure. If we want to convince
our subsidiaries across all our countries, we need to show that
we can impact cost.”
Caroline Thonnon
Costs and processes need to be measured and analysed. This is how Rexel will implement effective solutions.
Rexel has developed a web portal that allows subsidiaries and suppliers to get to grips with all relevant elements, all key performance indicators, and then make the right decisions.
smart mobility management - n°5 I 33smart mobility management - n°5 I 33
adVertoriaL AlPHABEt
ed Frederiks on outstanding business mobility
At the end of 2011 everybody in the leasing industry was speaking about one thing: the merger of Alphabet and ING Car Lease. The restructured management was recently introduced with Ed Frederiks being one of the two CEOs now heading the company. We spoke to him about the new Alphabet, his idea of business mobility and his outlook for 2012.
mr. Frederiks, first of all, how would you
sum up 2011?
2011 was a very exciting year. ING Car
Lease and Alphabet have become one
great company. With this complementary
joining, Alphabet has doubled in size
and now has twice as many cars under
management than before the merger. We
can offer extensive services in a total of
19 countries. And we have the experi-
enced and motivated employees to do
this successfully. We managed to keep all
of our people aboard. It’s an achievement
we’re very proud of. To be a provider of
outstanding business mobility we really
need all of our people with all of their
expertise and knowledge.
Speaking of business mobility: What
does ideal business mobility look like
for you?
For me, it means finding the business
mobility solution that best fits our
customers’ needs. To work this out, we
take a lot of different criteria and points
of view into consideration: fleet manag-
ers, procurement officers, drivers, CFOs
and CEOs – they all have different angles
on business mobility. For example: As
a driver you want to experience the
service, as the person in charge of HR,
you’ll be looking for perks to offer future
employees. And as a fleet manager, you
want to work with an expert company
in fleet management. Finally, a CFO will
look at the total cost of mobility. We
scan the big picture and take all relevant
aspects into consideration. This way we
find the best business mobility solution
and help our customers cut down costs.
is Corporate CarSharing part of this
business mobility approach? What are
the next steps regarding alphaCity?
We would like to introduce AlphaCity in
all of our markets as soon as possible.
For us, outstanding business mobil-
ity means much more than traditional
leasing. Integrating different forms of
transportation and offering Corporate
CarSharing is self-evident for us at
Alphabet. Nowadays, younger people are
interested in quick, flexible and accessi-
ble mobility. That’s exactly what we offer
with AlphaCity. We are really helping our
customers lower their mobility costs with
these kinds of solutions. Tackling these
costs from a traditional angle might not
deliver the same results as introducing
new business mobility solutions, such as
Corporate CarSharing.
Given that total cost of mobility (TCm)
and sustainability will remain two
important topics in 2012, how will
alphabet approach them?
We will approach TCM and sustainability
by integrating environmentally friendly
cars into our customers’ fleets. In every
company’s mobility there’s room for envi-
ronmentally friendly solutions that also
help with cost-cutting. Greener fleets and
alternative business mobility solutions
will, in the long run, lower TCM and ben-
efit sustainability. Electrical vehicles can
be integrated into fleets and Corporate
CarSharing solutions, as they’re ideal for
urban mobility. I know this might sound
idealistic, but for us it isn’t. Just think of
the stunning success of mobile phones –
20 years ago hardly anyone had one, and
what would we do without them today?
What is your outlook for 2012?
It will be a great year. We’re still enjoying
the post-merger energy and are work-
ing on bringing the best of both worlds
together. Now we have twice as much
experience, twice as much knowledge
and twice as much ambition. We’re not
an inward-looking company, though, we
don’t want to focus on ourselves – we
want to focus on our customers. They
will be the big beneficiaries of the new
Alphabet!
smart mobility management - n°5 I 34
Moving Forward, a new approach to the work environment
CaSe StudieS Accenture
One of the factors
behind Accen-
ture’s ‘Moving
Forward’ project
was the desire
to mobilize employees around
a new approach of our work
environment, based on innova-
tions, experimentations and
technologies. The company
therefore wished to re-launch an
environment of dynamism. The
objectives were to improve the
flexibility of the company’s work-
ing environment and be able to
work together more effectively. “We are a technology company
too, but we wanted to make a difference where the ecology
was concerned, and also open ourselves to the outside world.
We wanted to better integrate Accenture and our eco-system,
explains Marc Thiollier. “Our ‘ecosystem’ is composed of our
clients, partners, providers, along with the universities which
provide new recruits. The public authorities in the widest sense
of the phrase – from the city of Paris right up to state level, for
example –also belong to our eco-system with which Accenture
wants to interact better”.
There are some 3,500 persons within Accenture in France
taking part in ‘Moving Forward’, but the project is for all of the
staff. The daily working life of the company has certainly been
seen to change. Space management is one aspect, in order to
improve work life flexibility, and of great importance is home
working. This was not possible to the same degree previ-
ously – executive assistants were not able to do this – but it is
now available for all staff. Executive assistants, in fact, trialled
the system first to make sure it would work. Almost everyone
can do this now, working in security and privacy in their own
homes. Marc Thiollier uses the example of someone who may
live an hour and a half’s drive away from the office. Using the
company maximum of three days home working per week, this
Marc Thiollier:
“There is no elitism.”
A new approach to work-spaces.
Moving Forward is a project instigated by Accenture to encompass a whole new way of working involving almost all of its staff in France. Marc Thiollier, COO for France and Belgium, Luxemburg and The Netherlands, explains the main features of this ambitious initiative.
smart mobility management - n°5 I 35
ABOUT ACCENTUREAccenture is a global management consulting, technology services and outsourcing company, employing over 244,000 in more than 120 countries. Accenture has experi-ence and capabilities across many industries and business functions, and extensive research on the world’s most suc-cessful companies, and collaborates with its clients to help them improve their activities, whether as businesses or gov-ernments. The company generated net revenues of US$25.5 billion for the fiscal year ended Aug. 31, 2011.
MOVING FORWARD – THE BASIC FACTS> Home-working
> Tele-presence
> Installing energy-efficient equipment
> Reducing building CO2 emissions by 30% in 3 years
> Car sharing
> Flexible work spaces
> Use of creative social media
Accenture tele-presence makes people feel that they are all in the same room together.
being a separate system. “But we also recognise that some-
times a higher quality of video-conferencing is necessary (in
terms of picture quality)”, details Marc Thiollier, “and so we
have facilities for this. This enables the participants to be aware
of a certain degree of body language and other factors”.
The third level is genuine tele-presence which involves multi-
screen rooms in different buildings being set up and decorated
identically, so that participants really feel that they are all in the
same room together. Accenture refers to this as an immersive
experience, with the camera automatically focusing on the per-
son speaking, and the sound coming out from various speak-
ers to recreate spatial look and feel. This system is used for
complicated negotiations or subjects, and for sensitive issues.
It is used in circumstances where eye contact is necessary
along with a really good appreciation of the other peoples’
body language, and can be particularly useful, because of this,
when talking to a potential new employee. The candidate is
invited to attend an Accenture facility close to his or her home,
and the interviewer does not need to travel in order to conduct
a very high quality virtual interview.
The important element linking all of these three levels of
video-conferencing is that they are all available to all members
of staff when the occasion calls for them. There is no ‘elitism’
whereby only employees of a certain grade can use one or the
other… There are also interactive screens available, whereby
people can ‘write’ on the screens and what they write appears
on the screens of everybody else. This is called Whiteboard-
ing. Documents can be shared, created and provides an extra
dimension to interactive meetings.
Tim Harrup
equates to nine hours of wasted time in the car saved, all of the
fuel which would have been consumed during these nine hours
saved, and consequently less CO2 emissions. This also helps
Accenture in staff retention, because employees know that it
is one of the rare companies to offer this degree of flexibility.
There is even an improvement in the way staff members work
together, because when they are at home they do not have
other distractions such as going to fetch a visitor. The team
spirit has been improved through this mix of office working
and home working.
Videoconferencing – three levels
Videoconferencing is another very important aspect of ‘Moving
Forward’ and with Accenture, this is available on three levels.
Firstly, every staff member’s PC is equipped with a web-cam
and/or microphone, so video/audio-conferences can take place
from each workstation, or from home when they work from
there. Telephones are incorporated into the PC’s rather than
DiSCOVeR THe ACCeNTuRe MOBiliTy SeRViCeSAccenture Mobility Services: “In this era of rapid change and great advancements in industry after industry, we’re helping clients use mobility to connect consumers, employees, business and machines.”
QR Code Directions:
1. Open a ‘barcode scanner’ application on your Smartphone
2. Point your phones camera at the code and scan
3. The code will bring you to a mobile site where you can find out more information right from your smart-phone
smart mobility management - n°5 I 36
CaSe StudieS Belgacom
Mobility Budget as a box of bricks
Belgacom, today’s specialist in telecommunication & media-services with more than 5.3 million mobile users, 4 million fix telephone lines, 1.5 million internet connections and 1 million television subscribers, was established in 1930 as Belgium’s national telephone company. As one of Belgium’s largest companies, employing some 16,000 people, the Belgacom Group is a pioneer on more than one level. One of these is professional mobility.
Femke Vandoninck, HR Manager, starts the conver-
sation : “As a big company in Belgium Belgacom
really copies our entire society. One of the most
recent trends in that society is the growing inter-
est in flexible mobility, due to a blurring boundary
between work and private. On top of this we are located in the
heart of Brussels with excellent public transport services. The
‘gare du Nord’ is almost next-door, metro and bus are easy
to access. Just like in any big city we encounter traffic jams
and parking difficulties over here as well, which means our
employees were more than willing to participate in alternative
mobility. Furthermore our company attaches great importance
to the CSR-element.”
What is the focus of your mobility Policy?
etienne Verhelst, Business Services & Fleet Director : “Since
2009 we offer employees free mobility. I’m a big fan of the
bricks-principle : until 2009 employees with a company car
disposed of one brick the exact size of their car budget. But
there are hidden costs like fuel and parking. So we decided to
subdivide this and visualise it to inform the employees on what
we spend on which item. Next we granted fuel and parking a
certain ‘value’ and thus created three bricks with which the
people could shift while we added some mobility alternatives.”
Femke Vandoninck : “Today our employees are offered three
free choices : opt for a smaller or cheaper car, choose a limited
fuel card and, finally, opt for public transport and give up their
parking space. If they give up their parking space, this means
they have no access anywhere to Belgacom parkings. We
return the saving to those people and use this budget for
paying the public transport. We also allow them to find a pay-
parking if needed and use their budget to refund the resulting
parking tickets.
This year will be an important evaluation year for the Mobility Budget of Belgacom. The plan is to enlarge the offering by 2013 so that the Mobility Budget fits the need of the Belgacom employees even better.
smart mobility management - n°5 I 37
how did you start this procedure up?
Femke Vandoninck : “We started it up in 2008. First we ana-
lysed what possibilities there were on flexible mobility, realising
that the company wanted this to be a cost-neutral exercise. The
start-up coincided with the integration of our Proximus and
Telindus-branches which obliged us to harmonise our fleet-pol-
icy. This means we offered a number of people a company-car in
exchange for a reduction of their salary. Finally 300 employees
opted for this company-car proposal. At that moment the deci-
sion was taken to stop renting the building where our Proximus-
branch was located generating supplementary parking prob-
lems. This gave the Mobility Budget plan even more bearing.”
Which employees are eligible for this mobility budget?
Femke Vandoninck: “All people with a company car, also our
sales staff although they can’t opt for a limited volume of fuel.
Now employees realise themselves very well what it takes to
organise their professional transport efficiently. After the Mobil-
ity Budget plan was made up, we turned it into a collective
labour agreement that was clearly communicated. The reactions
were very positive. One third of the employees with a company
car, over 1,200 people, subscribed to this plan.
The people that do not have access to a company car are guar-
anteed a full reimbursement of all public transport for commuter
traffic, including the pre- and post-route plus some extra train
tickets for private usage.”
Do all options enjoy the same popularity?
etienne Verhelst: “No, the most popular one is opting for public
transport and give up parking space together with limitation of
the fuel volume .Opting for a smaller car is not popular at all.
Not so much because the employees so badly want a big car,
but because from time to time they need a bigger car. So the
question now rises how we can make these people opt for a
smaller car during the year and a have them dispose of a bigger
one during specific periods. This is not an easy exercise as these
last periods are similar for a lot of people – weekends and holi-
days – boosting the request for big cars exponentially.”
looking back would you change some elements?
etienne Verhelst: “The tricky point is that the people giving up
their parking space at a certain Belgacom-site also give it up
at all other sites of our brand, even if these sites do not neces-
sarily encounter parking issues. But it is a systematic restric-
tion in our parking policy. Even today I do think we could not
have solved this differently. By 2013 we want to re-evaluate our
Mobility Budget plan on basis of our lessons learned and of new
possibilities so that we can carry out necessary changes or even
enlarge the offering with public bicycle- or car-sharing like Villo
or Cambio. A second element is that we want to formulate an
answer for those people who prefer a part-time usage of the
Mobility Budget. The difficult thing here is that public transport
is not really organised in part-time. All subscriptions are full-time
concepts.”
how do you organise the follow-up?
etienne Verhelst: “We have chosen for internal follow-up via
an automated system with a simulation tool. With this tool the
employees can make their own mobility calculations. Because
we oblige them to reconfirm their choice each year in Novem-
ber, managing it remains surveyable. It is however impossible to
opt for a smaller car one year and a big one the next. The choice
of car is linked to the duration of the leasing contract. We do
have to admit that governing the limited fuel cards was a big
challenge at the beginning, because only one fuel card supplier
accepted to work with limits on a yearly basis. The existing limits
are mostly mentioned to counter fraud, but that was not what
we were looking for.”
Femke Vandoninck: “The required supplementary follow-up has
more to do with employees changing cars of functions or with
new employees joining us during the working year. At those
moments a manual intervention is necessary, but where possible
we let the electronics do their job.”
Do you know whether this exercise resulted into extra costs or
rather cost-cuts?
Femke Vandoninck: “The exercise is at least neutral for each
individual’s budget, so the same goes for the whole company’s
budget. We did not have to hire extra people in order to manage
it and as a big company we can count on scale benefits.”
etienne Verhelst: “We do notice that the average mileage per
company car lowered from 35,000 tot 30,000 km. The Mobility
Budget certainly contributed to this effect.”
Steven Schoefs
WHAT ELSE DOES BELGACOM GROEP DO APART FROM THE MOBILITY BUDGET?> Flexible working hours since the 80’s
> Possibility for video-conferencing
> Possibility for tele-working in 25 satellite-offices, with a maximum of 2 days a week (25% of the employees listed for this option)
> A new smartphone at favourable price for every employee every 2 years
> Hybrid cars in the car policy lists
> 28 electric vehicles as part of a fleet that is used as pool-car or company-car
Etienne Verhelst and Femke Vandoninck are proud that one third of the company car drivers already subscribed to the Belgacom’s Mobility Budget concept.
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smart mobility management - n°5 I 38
Understanding the mobility challengesAt Thalys, we believe that it is our job as a travel supplier to help our clients face their daily chal-lenges. The global financial crisis which causes some companies to believe we are on the brink of economic meltdown makes the need for travel expense management even more urgent. For travel managers, one might think it’s all about cutting costs and reducing their travel budget. But even in 2012, opportunities are more diverse. Rethinking the travel policy idea and understanding the mobility challenges, will result in a more satisfying traveler and a lower overall budget for the company. it’s all about putting the right pieces together…
We focus our analysis on the overall trips of a client and offer a wide range of services to decrease the global cost of his journey. First of all, traveling on board of a high speed train means travelers can work and be productive. This is an indirect saving, therefore reduces the overall cost of the trip. As railway stations are always located in city centers, the average cost of travelling is decreased as most of the travelers use the public transport (tickets are sold at the ThalysBar). 41% of travelers use public transport to get to their Thalys railway station, and 51% do so when they come out of the station to get to their destination.
high speed trains: no hidden costs!
One change lever for travel managers is certainly to gain more controls over ancillary fees. These fees are hard to track and reduce the ability of a travel manager to manage the budget. More important, they tend to cost lots of money. In this context, choosing high speed trains over an air-line is very interesting. Most railway companies do not charge ancillary fees; travelers do not pay extra for their luggage or for a special seat. Besides, on board of Thalys, in Comfort 1, we provide meals served at the seat, and the Wifi access is also included in the price of ticket.
No credit card surcharge
Thalys distributors do not add an additional surcharge to the ticket price, when purchased with a credit card. This means that there is no hidden cost behind the official ticket price.
Corporate tickets are fully flexible
Thalys wishes to go further by anticipating corporate expectations and has made the train journey easier and more flexible. Our specific corporate rates enable business travelers to travel flexibly, so they don’t have to worry about a last minute exchange.
it’s all about figures
Another problem for travel managers is getting access to accurate data. To implement and man-age a mobility budget, they need to know what their exact expenses are and what their traveler’s habits are. We provide our corporate clients with a very detailed reporting of their consumption. We think it is of prior importance to give them the tools to control their expenses.
new Co2 legislation
In 2012 the new European regulation on carbon emissions might trigger a change in the business travel market. Flight tickets prices are expected to be rising to enable airlines to absorb the higher taxes. Our carbon footprint confirms that Thalys offers a transport solution in line with the fight against climate change. Between Paris and Amsterdam, a Thalys travel generates around 8 kg of C0
2 per travelers whereas a flight generates around 75 kg/CO
2 per travelers.
Summary
Mobility is more than choosing the lowest price for a business journey. It means selecting the right supplier for the right destination. Within Europe, the new CO
2 legislation will force airlines to come
up with creative solutions to reduce the carbon footprint. High speed connections are an interest-ing alternative for flights. But high speed trains offer a lot more: thanks to the optimized services, a trip is not a waste a time, but a true investment. This value goes way beyond the simple price of a ticket, and can be a decision lever.
“Our efforts will result in a more satisfying traveler and
a lower overall budget for the company.”
Jean-Pierre Martin
Head of Sales Thalys International.
smart mobility management - n°5 I 39smart mobility management - n°5 I 39
CaSe StudieS European Parliament
The European Parliament (EP), the representative institution of the European Union, recently established a Mobility Point in the heart of its Brussels complex. We interview Tom Skinner, Adviser to the Director General for Infrastructure and Logistics (DG INLO), of the European Parliament.
TTom Skinner: “The founda-
tion of our Mobility Point in
the EP in Brussels is a direct
consequence of a budget-
ary resolution which Parlia-
ment voted in 2008. The purpose is to
raise consciousness of sustainable modes
of transport, and to lower our carbon
footprint. Parliament has an objective to
reduce emissions by 30% by 2020. This
measure is one response to the fact that
around 40% of Parliament’s total carbon
footprint is accounted for by the transport
of persons, including from commuter jour-
neys by Parliament’s staff, the transport of
Members in official cars owned or hired by
Parliament, by visitors to Parliament and
official travel by the Members. Transport
of persons is the largest single component
of Parliament’s carbon footprint.”
how does the mobility Point work in
practice?
T. Skinner: “The mobility point opened
on 15 June 2011, and is managed by DG
INLO and run by experts from two mobil-
ity consultancies. This information point
provides tailored travel information on
mobility and the best way to plan jour-
neys. It offers information on promoting
sustainable transport alternatives, by
e-mail or at the desk, to anyone working
for or in the EP and to all visitors to the
institution. The Mobility Point has close
contact with most travel providers and its
own experts, and can advise in real-time
on the best sustainable transport alterna-
tives for travel in Brussels and also to and
from Luxembourg and Strasbourg. During
its first three months, the Mobility Point
received more than 250 requests despite
the holiday period. 75% of those requests
were made by internal staff and covered a
wide array of topics: from train times, car-
sharing and information about bicycles.
People requesting information are given
a comprehensive and up-to-date Fiche
de mobilité detailing modes of transport,
transit points and estimated travel times.
Since its opening the mobility point has
provided 670 consultations. Mobility
Point also offers an internal website full of
useful tips which is regularly updated and
provides information on accessibility in
the EP for people with reduced mobility.
230 people have signed up to be kept in
regular contact with the point and receive
advice and news regarding transport
issues.”
Should we interpret these figures as a
sign of a real internal need for a mobility
Point?
T. Skinner: “The Mobility Point forms an
integral part of the Eco-Management and
Audit Scheme action plan. Our monitoring
of Parliament’s carbon footprint shows a
negative trend arising from the trans-
port of persons over the last five years.
The emissions per employee-equivalent
increased by 6.3% between 2006 and
2010. Although there are obvious expla-
nations for this trend, Parliament has
assumed responsibility to try to reduce
this trend so far as is possible and to
encourage people to make environmen-
tally-friendly choices. Our objective is to
reduce carbon emissions in so far as is
consistent with the obvious constraints
arising from the nature of the Institution
and the need for efficient and effective
working procedures.”
What other means do you employ apart
from facilitating the best real-time travel
choices for members, staff and visitors?
T. Skinner: “The EP has a Mobility Coor-
dinator and has sought to negotiate
favourable terms for its staff for season
tickets for public transport in Brussels and
Luxembourg. When it comes to Parlia-
ment’s staff, we are seeking to promote
car-sharing for work-related travel and to
establish a platform for staff to coordinate
supply and demand for work-related car
sharing arrangements. Video-conferencing
also forms an alternative to such travel
and is increasingly used in place of physi-
cal journeys. As a result of video-confer-
encing, in 2011 DG INLO alone avoided a
total of 743 individual missions. This saved
around €135,000 for the work related
travel budget of Parliament and about
51,000 kg CO2.”
Dirk Steyvers
The Mobility Point offers services as personalised advice on travel around
Brussels, to Strasbourg and Luxembourg and between EP site.
THe FuTuRe OF MOBiliTy POiNTDiscover the whole interview with Mr Tom Skinner and the future of Mobility Point on www.smart-mobilitymanagement.com, or by scanning the QR code.
QR Code Directions:
1. Open a ‘barcode scanner’ application on your Smartphone
2. Point your phones camera at the code and scan
3. The code will bring you to a mobile site where you can find out more information right from your smartphone
European Parliament’s Mobility Point
smart mobility management - n°5 I 40
CaSe StudieS PwC Belgium
«Mobility is essential, not the car itself»Companies in the auditing and consultancy business tra-ditionally have high staff turnover. In the war for talent, employers need an attractive profile. PwC Belgium extends this strategy to include employee mobility. In 2009, the firm started redesigning its fleet policy resulting last July in a new mobility policy that links employee benefits to green mobility initiatives.
“CSR is central to our strategy”, says
Christophe Van Obergen, Compen-
sation & Benefits Manager at PwC
Belgium. Overall, approximately 1,500
people work for the company, of who
over 1,000 are entitled to a company car. “Consultants are
expected to spend as much time as possible with clients and
prospects. So mobility is key. But mobility should not just fit
the individual needs of our consultants. It should also reflect
the social responsibility of PwC as a whole. That’s why we’re
no longer talking about using a car, but about facilitating
mobility.” Re-engineering the car policy to create a mobility
policy kicked off with a significant addition of low-emission
cars. Up to 600 cars were replaced with more eco-friendly
alternatives, with CO2 limits of 140 g/km for PwC manag-
ers, and 120 g/km for junior and senior staff. These limits will
be regularly reviewed as new, increasingly eco-friendly cars
enter the market. “In addition, employees can choose car
models from only three main manufacturers - Mercedes, Audi
and BMW. These three brands have an excellent track record
and constantly work to reduce CO2 emissions, which will help
us reduce our emission levels systematically.”
Car sharing unpopular
But simply reducing CO2 emissions is not enough for PwC.
“As an employer in a hypercompetitive environment, we
need to meet the demand for flexible commuting”, Chris-
tophe Van Obergen continues. “Many staff members can
telework in the PwC office of their choice, if they book office
space in advance. For some years now, we have been exten-
sively using teleconference and videoconference systems,
which are especially useful for reducing international travel.
On the other hand, we’re seeing that car sharing and car
THE FUTURE WILL BE FLEXIBLEAs soon as the mobility budget is realised, PwC Belgium would like to move on to a flexible benefits account. “This means we’re talking not just about organising the corporate side of mobility, but also the entire range of possible fringe benefits, such as extra insurance, supplemental retirement savings, etc. Our Uk colleagues have been doing that with some degree of success for some time now, but the British tax system deals more easily with this type of formula. I hope this will soon be the case in Belgium as well, as it would help us to hire and retain young talent.”
smart mobility management - n°5 I 41
pooling are not very popular: work schedules for our typical
consultants can vary, which makes collective transport dif-
ficult to organise.”
adjusting individual mobility
Recently, a mobility account was introduced as a first step
towards a comprehensive mobility budget. The mobility
account today is a personal account into which PwC annually
deposits 500 euro on condition that the employee entitled
to a company car has no accidents during the lease period,
and no damage is recorded when he or she hands in the car.
“We’re able to deposit those 500 euro because we’re saving
money on damage claims”, says Christophe Van Obergen.
Currently, the employee can spend that amount on extra
options for the next car, or save it as a buffer for the portion
of the damage claim paid by the driver in case of a future
accident. But PwC Belgium wants to go even further, and
is in talks with Belgian public transport companies (train,
tram, bus and metro services) to enable employees to enjoy
a combination of corporate and public mobility, based on a
single mobility budget. Christophe Van Obergen maintains
that this could be realised by July 2012. “The ultimate goal of
such an agreement is: less car, more mobility. An employee
who opts for a lower-priced car could spend the remaining
budget on alternative transportation. We could also use it to
fund parking fees.”
Once this system becomes operational, it should reach a
participation rate of 20% of employees, Christophe Van
Obergen states. “That is an ambitious figure, but the youthful
attitude of our people, and the fact that so many of them
need to work in the congested centres of our cities, mean
that it is also a realistic figure. But I hope that service provid-
ers, and especially lease companies, will get off the fence
and fulfil their role as integrators. So far, any attempts in that
direction have been too few and too far in between, which
is a pity: this could be an interesting competitive advantage.
And of course, it’s up to the government to create the right
circumstances. We’re not aiming to benefit financially, but
we would want the scheme to break even.”
Steven Schoefs
PWC BELGIUM: FAST FACTSActivity: Tax, audit and consulting
HQ in Belgium: Sint-Stevens-Woluwe, Brussels
Other offices: Antwerp, Ghent, Liège
People in Belgium: 1,500
Fleet size in Belgium: 1,100 cars
CSR is central to PwC Belgium, where approximately 1,500 people work,
of who over 1,000 are entitled to a company car.
Christophe Van Obergen, Compensation & Benefits Manager at PwC Belgium, hopes that about 20% of employees within PwC Belgium will use the future mobility budget.
smart mobility management - n°5 I 42
induStry News
regus and Shell in a partnership trial
Regus and Shell have announced the trial of a joint programme. This involves the opening of a first Regus business lounge at a motorway service station (Limours-Janvry) just to the south west of Paris. Drivers calling in to the station can check into Regus to use high speed internet, copying and scanning facili-ties and courier services, among others. The Regus centre also means that a fuel or meal stop can now be combined with work-ing. Access can be bought at the Shell checkout, or be obtained via a Regus Businessworld card. If successful, the concept could be rolled out across Europe.
google in-car navigation for daimler
germany, the Netherlands and Belgium develop clearing house for e-mobility
Three operators of charging networks for electric cars in three different countries (Belgium, Germany, the Netherlands) are developing a common European clearing house for e-mobility. This joint initiative of the operators behind Blue Corner (B), e-laad (NL) and ladenetz (D), called e-clearing.net, will act as the central interface that streamlines authorisation, clearing and a vast array of value-added services for e-mobility. Last year, the three operators involved signed an ‘e-roaming’ agreement, allowing their customers to easily recharge their e-cars through any of the other two networks. Interconnecting the growing number of systems, integrating navigation and reservation options, and billing between providers, will be major tasks for e-clearing.net. The first applications will go online in June 2012, and will be free of charge for the first few years.
Regus and Shell start to collaborate in France.
Eric Schmidt, Executive Chairman of Google, and Eike Böhm, Vice Presi-dent Product Innovations and Process Technologies at Daimler, seal the new cooperation between Daimler and Google.
E-clearing.net is a new trans-European initiative on e-mobility.
Daimler and Google are strengthening their strategic partner-ship. This will give Daimler access to application programming interfaces under the name of Google Maps API, providing Daim-ler with the ability to include map-related applications in its vehicles. Daimler will thus be able to use Google maps for in-car map displays, and this partnership will enable other Google services to be integrated more smoothly into the vehicles.
deutsche Bahn improving mobile information systemsGerman rail operator Deutsche Bahn (DB) has indicated that it is to improve its journey planning applications. ‘Mobilitäts-manager’ newsletter reports that DB has reworked its DB Navigator application for Android-enabled smartphones, and that this will now enable passengers to access infor-mation on journey alterations directly. This type of access was previously only possible by iPhone or by visiting DB’s website. The newly reworked application will include infor-mation on delays and modifications, and will be equipped with an intuitive device. Users will also be able to find infor-mation about the ‘Call-a-Bike’ facilities from Google maps points located at stations, and make their choices. DB is also making improvements to its mobile phone ticketing application, including seat number reservation.
smart mobility management - n°5 I 43
PuB EuRoP-CAR
To succeed anywhere on the globe, a business needs to move around it. Move goods, equipment or people. Move the right way and right away. Make Europcar your mobility partner, and you can. We’ve an extensive range of cars and trucks in over 150 countries across the word. EuropcarClub offers total freedom and fl exibility for one regular subscription, saving money and CO2 emissions. And thanks to our Smartphone app, bookings can be made from anywhere. Get in touch and make the planet your place to do business.
www.europcar.com
AP A4 SMM-2.indd 1 07/01/11 10:42Cyan quadriMagenta quadriJaune quadriNoir quadri
smart mobility management - n°5 I 44
Agreement between Polycom and ingram MicroPolycom Inc. has signed an agreement with Ingram Micro for the Benelux countries. The agreement will enable Polycom to extend its reach in these countries, and will make the Polycom RealPresence system available from thousands of IT retailers. The RealPresence platform is the most extensive software infra-structure for video-conferencing, and can be used with mobile business and social applications and devices.
4 travel manager’s priorities for 2012Carlson Wagonlit Travel (CWT) published its ‘Travel Manage-ment Priorities’ report for 2012. This shows that company travel managers are set to focus on four main priorities during the coming year. These are driving through cost savings in both air and ground transport, improving travel compliance, optimising hotel spend and making more use of on-line facilities. Improving communications on travel policy and compliance will be one of the avenues for achieving these goals. Previous CWT research has shown that only around half of company travellers are famil-iar with their own companies’ travel policies.
Cities need to communicate internally for better carbon solutions
According to a report from Accenture, The Climate Group, Arup and Horizon Digital Economy Research, cities should be encour-aged to make use of available data to create new smart, low-carbon mobility solutions.
A report compiled by Accenture along with The Climate Group, Arup and Horizon Digital Economy Research , says that cities are not taking full benefit from the data they pos-sess, to improve smart initiatives. They should be encouraged to make use of available data to create new smart, low-car-bon solutions to improve daily life. The report points to the fact that individual ecologically-friendly projects produce information for their own purposes, but often fail to interlink this with other data or other projects. Cities are also unsure of the social and financial payback from investments in this area which they are considering. As an example, the report says that a common communications backbone for a smart grid and a road pricing scheme could produce economies of scale. “An intelligent city not only reduces carbon emissions, but attracts talent and investment through quality services and infrastructure and through convenience that delights res-idents,” explains Volker Buscher, Director, Arup. “Cities must
low cost meetings from BCd travel
At the website of BCD Travel, you can now easily book a meeting space with the new ‘Low Cost Meeting’ concept.
BCD Travel has introduced a new concept called ‘Low Cost Meeting’. This involves ready made meetings packages for five major cities in Belgium and the Netherlands, and provides cli-ents with a simple, quick and inexpensive method of holding meetings outside of their own premises. Clients select the time and the hotel, along with specifying the type of meeting (in Ant-werp, Brussels, Amsterdam, Eindhoven or Rotterdam) and BCD Travel makes all the arrangements at lower cost than would nor-mally be associated with the organisation. More information can be found on the website www.bcdtravel.be .
open up their digital assets and create a thriving information marketplace for innovations that achieve these aims. It will take courage for city leaders to challenge the cultural norms of their administrations and expose themselves to this form of dynamic collaboration.”
induStry News
smart mobility management - n°5 I 45
smart mobility management - n°5 I 46
Car-sharing initiative in germanyThe Zentralverband Deutsches kraftfahrzeuggewerbe (ZDk) is to instigate a car-sharing model, reports Auto-haus Online. The ZDk is the German Federation for Motor Trades and Repairs, representing the professional interests of 38,000 accredited automotive companies. It is to do this by making it possible for member dealers to enable car drivers to have part ownership of cars. ZDk president Robert Rademacher indicated, however, that the organisa-tion would probably not get directly involved in car-shar-ing. Current car-sharing operations in Germany are run by Daimler (car2go), BMW (Drive-Now), VW (Quicar) and Peugeot (Mu).
yamaha starts scooter leasing with Ald Automotive
Yamaha works together with ALD Automotive to promote two wheels leasing amongst professional clients.
In a further demonstration of how company mobility is no longer restricted exclusively to cars, ALD Automotive has come to an agreement with the French structure of motor cycle manufac-turer Yamaha – Yamaha Motor France. The latter is to make avail-able a range of nine two-wheel vehicles, including the EC-03 electric scooter, for companies and independent professionals. For its part, and as it already does with certain other manu-facturers, ALD is making this service available under the name of the client – in this case ’Yamaha Lease Pro’. Maintenance is included, and individual clients can opt for other services such as tyre replacement or fuel cards. Yamaha Motor France Direc-tor General Eric de Seynes commented: “Our demand responds to a growing demand from companies, which are increasingly turning to two wheels”. This initiative is not the first experience ALD has with two wheels, however, as it already manages the Post Office’s fleet of 10,000 vehicles in France.
autolib’ hits the road
Autolib’, the new car-sharing scheme in Paris.
Polycom Inc. has signed an agreement with Ingram Micro for the Benelux countries. The agreement will enable Polycom to extend its reach in these countries, and will make the Polycom RealPresence system available from thousands of IT retailers. The RealPresence platform is the most extensive software infra-structure for video-conferencing, and can be used with mobile business and social applications and devices.
Copyright: Autolib’
travel Managers are still valuedA survey carried out by the GBTA (Global Business Travel Asso-ciation) in the USA, has found that companies are recognising the importance of business travel, and therefore investing in good management talent to take care of this aspect of run-ning their business. GBTA chairman Craig Banikowski (photo) commented: “Despite global economic challenges, job com-pensation and security remain strong for travel buyers”. The findings have been published in the GBTA’s annual Travel Man-agement Compensation and Benefit survey, and they show sal-ary increases of around 5% over 2011 for travel managers. The survey also reports that the responsibilities of USA-based man-agers are increasingly extending beyond the country’s borders. Two of the more recent additions to responsibilities are in the areas of using new technologies, and in risk management.
inforad to enter gPS marketInforad is launching a GPS location service. The company has not before used its existing Ci box-unit to provide this sort of in-car service, but has now decided that its existing technology makes this a logical move. In order to operate this new service, Inforad has established a dedicated subsidiary, under the name of Inforoad. It will come into direct competition with established suppliers such as TomTom.
induStry News
smart mobility management - n°5 I 47
SNCF and Avis offer extended electric mobility
Air travel has increased in 2011
Avis has delivered 10 Citroën C-Zero models to French rail operator SNCF.
In 2011 air travel increased by 7.4% in 2011 compared to 2010.
French rail operator SNCF and its car rental partner of 25 years Avis, have announced an extension to the service they offer cli-ents, reports Déplacements Pros. Under the name ‘100% Electric Train and Avis’, passengers arriving at the Gare de Lyon in Paris, or Marseille Saint-Charles, will be able to continue their journey using electric power. Avis is making available 6 Citroën C-Zero cars in Paris, and 4 in Marseille in the first stage. These 100% elec-tric cars have a range of 100 km and can be recharged in 8 hours. If the initial project proves to be successful, it will be extended.
The International Civil Aviation Organisation has released fig-ures which show that air travel increased by 7.4% in 2011 com-pared to 2010. Reported by Déplacements Pros, these figures also indicate that some 2.7 billion passengers took to the air last year, up by over 5% on the previous year. The overall increase is put down to a global economy which, despite severe hiccups in certain regions such as Europe, is still growing. The emerging markets in particular are seeing increases, with Middle Eastern airlines doing particularly well. In Europe, there has nevertheless been progress, with the expanding destination network of low cost carriers helping.
digest awards for europcar & FCm Travel Solutions
The World Travel Awards in Qatar have seen car rental com-pany Europcar pick up two prestigious awards. The company has been named ‘Best Car Rental Company’ and ‘Best Eco-responsible Transport Company’. FCm Travel Solutions has been named the World’s Leading Travel Management Company. Some 213,000 professionals from the travel industry cast their votes at these awards.
lufthansa crosses atlantic on bio-fuel
On January 12th Lufthansa has operated the first transatlantic flight using 100% bio-fuel. The Boeing 747 400 series took off from Frankfurt, bound for Washington, with around 40 tonnes of bio-synthetic fuel aboard. On this first flight alone, Lufthansa expected to have reduced its CO
2 emissions by 38 tonnes,
which is the equivalent of 6 internal flights from Frankfurt to Hamburg.
Tele-presence gaining ground
A survey produced by International Data Corporation shows that the turnover from tele-presence facilities such as video-conferencing services, increased by almost a quarter over the past twelve months. This market is now worth around 680 mil-lion dollars worldwide, up by more than 130 million dollars from a year earlier. Those within the sector believe that there will be more growth over the next five years.
regus offices in SnCF stations
The SNCF, the French railway company, has signed a contract with temporary office specialist Regus for the installation of office facilities in certain of its stations. This is in a desire to make the train experience even more ‘work-friendly for busi-ness travellers. The first station to be so equipped will be Le Mans at the end of 2012, followed by Bordeaux, Nancy, Amiens, Paris Nord (photo) and Lille Flandres. All will be equipped with Regus offices by 2014.
extended agreement between easyJet and europcar
Easyjet and Europcar have extended their strategic partnership. The partnership has been in operation since 2003 and is due to end in 2014. Through the partnership, Easyjet clients benefit from advantageous rates when booking Europcar vehicles, along with a reservation system which enables the flight and the car to be arranged at the same time. Since the start of the partnership, some 3 million Easyjet clients have taken advan-tage of this partnership.
airbus increases electric fleet
Airbus has just taken delivery of its fifteenth Citroën C-Zero car. Airbus uses electric vehicles at its site in Toulouse, along with those at Blagnac, Nantes and Saint-Nazaire. The vehicle delivered joins a fleet of some 150 vehicles managed for the aeronautical company by car sharing company Carbox. This latest addition to the Carbox-managed fleet means that Airbus has the largest fleet of car-sharing vehicles of any private com-pany in France.
smart mobility management - n°5 I 48
induStry Bernard tabary, Keolis international
Keolis, facilitating mobility and integrating solutions
Keolis integrates mobility solutions so you don’t have to suffer travelling In each of the 12 national markets in which it is present, the Keolis Group is a major integrator of mobility solutions. Keolis feels that mobility should be an option chosen rather than as a nuisance suffered. And this by any means neces-sary: bus, cars, trains, automated metro, trams, bicycles, and ferries, but also by better managing traffic nodes such as ports, aeroports, train stations, car parks, etc. Main concerns: looking out for the comfort of travellers, and making sure that both business and government - Keolis’ two major client bases - get the best possible mobility solutions.
“Safety, reliability
and respect for the
environment are
absolute prerequi-
sites for mobility”,
says Bernard Tabary, CEO of keolis
International. He is one of the key
leaders of an enterprise averaging 12%
growth over the last 10 years. “Inter-
modality is at the heart of our busi-
ness model. That is a reflection of the
importance of SNCF, the French railway
company with 55% of the shares - our
major shareholder by far.”
Both in its dealings with government
departments and with private
companies, keolis has a track record
of turning constraints into opportuni-
ties. Says Bernard Tabary: “Many of our
principals come to us with a certain
vision of their city, their area. Mobility
is an essential tool in managing this
territory. So we sit down with them to
analyse all aspects of the issue. And we
try to propose solutions that are highly
adapted to the given situation, creat-
ing win/wins in mobility for the public
sector, the private sector, and the end
users. One of our strengths is that
we’re not fanatics for this or that solu-
tion, or mode of travel. We’re perfectly
willing and able to look at all options,
and manage and combine them to the
best possible effect.”
For keolis, “the challenge is to be a
comprehensive integrator, providing
solutions for all possible situations -
always with the comfort and security of
the passengers as our main concern.”
To which Bernard Tabary adds: “In the
foreseeable future, mobility will be an
ever more central concern. The desire
to move around will be even more
intense and universal than it already is
today. People will increasingly want to
communicate with each other, with the
easy fluidity that current travel options
already promise.”
Bernard Tabary, CEO of Keolis International
smart mobility management - n°5 I 49
BUSINESS SOLUTIONS Either directly or indirectly, companies are funders and users of transport networks. It’s keolis’s job to design and implement mobility plans to fit their needs. “We’re working together with these companies, analysing the mobility of their employees. We’re offering a range of adapted, differentiated solutions to their issues.” In France, a subsidiary called EFFIA carries out the audits and takes care of the implementation. We’ll discuss this further in our next issue.
kEOLIS IN FACTS AND FIGURES > Shareholders: SNCF: 56.5%, kebexa: 40.7% (Holding
consisting of the Caisse de dépôt et placement du Québec, AXA Private Equity and the Pragma fund), management and employees of the Group: 2, 8%.
> 50,150 employees, including 30,720 in France and 19,430 abroad.
> 2.5 billion passengers transported.
> 4.1 billion euros in turnover in 2010, of which 55% in France, 20% in the Uk, 10% in Scandinavia, etc.
> Annual growth rate of over 12%.
CYCLING IN PARIS Bernard Tabary practises the intermodal mobility that he preaches in his hometown of Paris. He often cycles and regularly jogs in the city. Of course he uses his car, but he’ll also take public transport. Tabary, a native Parisian, is a graduate of Rouen Business School. He spent 17 years working for the Bolloré Group, holding various management positions in the transport and logistics divisions, in Europe, the US and Australia/New Zealand, and then as director of the Group’s Europe-Africa lines. In 2000, he went on to become managing director of the environmental department at Plastic Omnium, the automotive supplier. He joined keolis in 2005. Tabary’s expertise on all kinds of transport modes, and his international experience combine to make him an informed observer of mobility solutions. His main frames of reference: Scandinavia, where he senses a truly global vision, and intelligent policies. And also Germany, which combines expertise and experience in the fields of safety, efficiency and integration, all helping to optimise networks.
respecting the environment
Respect for the environment is a Group-wide reality for keolis,
with car-sharing in Lille, hybrid buses in Copenhagen, bicycle
networks in several major cities, energy recovery on German
trams, biofuel in France and Scandinavia, and on and on. These
are but a few examples of ‘clean’ transportation. Reducing the
carbon footprint is one of the Group’s main priorities.
First steps in China
In Australia, keolis operates the world’s largest tram network. It
also runs the trains in the southwestern suburbs of Washington
DC. And manages the Lyon metro, the Stockholm bus service,
German railways, the tram in Nottingham, etc. keolis truly is
a global, indispensable player. keolis is present and active in
12 countries (Australia, Belgium, Canada, Denmark, France,
Germany, the Netherlands, Norway, Portugal, Sweden, the Uk,
and the US). “We’re quite consciously limiting ourselves to this
number. We do not want to be present in 20 or 30 countries
too suddenly. We’d rather develop solutions in countries with
legal environments favourable to a transparent and easily
graspable transport policy”, Bernard Tabary explains. Hence
the recent acquisition by keolis of an American company
specialised in transporting disabled persons, a field that is just
as much a part of the core business of keolis, which is present
in the US states of California, Florida and Virginia, with a total
workforce of 1.300 employees.
But what about the Chinese market? “We’re following it closely.
And we’re taking note of the fact that intermodality is a priority
in the second five-year plan”. Enough for keolis to be chal-
lenged into a larger presence in China? Whatever the future
may bring, keolis took a first step on the Chinese market in
2011 by taking charge of intermodality in the city of Wuhan.
The goal: to optimise - for this city of 11 million - an integrated
transport system that includes buses, trolleys, subways, ferries,
bicycles and a future suburban transport network!
Thierry Degives
smart mobility management - n°5 I 50
induStry Peugeot Mu
Peugeot Mu is now ready for B2B
For Peugeot, 2012 will be the year in which it develops mobility solutions aimed specifically at the B2B market - and implements them. After building up experience and expertise in the B2C market across eight European countries, the manufacturer now wants to speed up the corporate side of the business through pilot projects with major European clients. To discuss this strategy, we met up with Coralie Henry Poppe and Sylvain Delmas of Peugeot’s Mobility Services Development department at the Avenue de la Grande Armée in Paris.
Mu By Peugeot was
initially developed as a
mobility offer aimed at
the individual consumer.
“But we already have
corporate customers for it”, says Coralie
Poppe. “Company directors with com-
pany credit cards using the online book-
ing tool, or employees using the services
offered by Mu and are being reimbursed
for them by their company. And we also
have had inquiries into Mu by fleet man-
agers from several countries.”
Pilot Projects
“To help mature our range of offers,
we’ve chosen to work on pilot projects
with some large international accounts.
Coralie Henry Poppe and Sylvain Demas: “With Peugeot Mu Professional, the idea is to say: “TCO + Mu = TCM”: the Total Cost of Ownership + Mu = Total Cost of Mobility. “
It’s thanks to these projects that we can
really test the product, and if need be,
modify it. We’ve had positive feedback
on Mu ever since we unveiled it at the
Peugeot Fleet Forum in Madrid, last
autumn. So there is a real interest out
there.”“Currently, Mu is present on eight
different markets. But we’re sensing
a far-reaching interest in the concept,
even via our own staff, who are present
in global markets like China and Latin
America. It’s Mu’s mission to provide
mobility solutions wherever there are
issues with traffic congestion.
one offer, several levels
On the basis of these offers, we have
developed a system of mobility audits,
in collaboration with LeasePlan Consul-
tancy Services. The idea is to draw up
an inventory of travel as it occurs in a
company, and then to suggest alterna-
tives or improvements. This analysis is
also one of cost, and includes a strategy
for ‘rightsizing’ any given fleet as well
as analysing traffic movements (inter-
site and commuter), expense notes and
typical aspects of company cars. The
analysis has three dimensions: cost,
driver satisfaction and environmental
impact. The audit is two-tiered. The first
step is about researching and gathering
all data relevant to employee mobil-
smart mobility management - n°5 I 51
ity. Often, these data already exist, but
are fragmented over several depart-
ments - HR, accounting, purchasing,
etc. Depending on company size, one
or two consultants will interview key
people. End result of the analysis will be
a review, and a ‘map’ of the trajectories
that together compose the company’s
actual mobility.
1. Mu Welcome Credit The first step towards a new mobility is
Mu Welcome Credit, a product designed
for employees who need to choose
a company vehicle. If they opt for a
Peugeot, they will receive a credit at the
opening of a Mu personal account that
will provide them with the opportunity
to rent any Peugeot from a range of
vehicles, be they cars, scooters, bicycles,
vans or even accessories. This is a clear
benefit for the employee, provided
MU ACCOUNT? A personal account that allows you to save, to manage and to spend mobility units, for example to rent a car, a bicycle, a scooter or an accessorie (roof top, GPS…) from the network when there’s need for another one.
The Mu Credit Card will give access to different mobility solutions.
by the manufacturer on commercial
budget. These two offers are already on
the market.
Peugeot is also developing new Mu pro-
fessional offers to come on the market.
2. Mu Professional Service
A second stage is the possibility for a
company to open a Mu professional
account. Employees can either use
a vehicle from the car pool or lease
another vehicle, only for professional use.
These vehicles are always kept overnight
at the dealership. Mu Professional Service
enables for booking via the internet,
allowing for smooth management and
easy billing. This business service pro-
vides companies with the opportunity
to partially replace their fleet of pool
vehicles. This scheme could even include
a service that would allow these vehicles
to be delivered straight to the company
where the employee is based.Mu Per-
sonal CreditThe third level is credit taken
by the company for individual employ-
ees who need to travel for business - or
pleasure. Mu Personal Credit is an excep-
tion to the rule stating: ‘One vehicle per
person, allowing multiple vehicles to be
combined according to need. Because
the system needs to be flexible! Hence
you could also conceive of a leasing
contract that could be paid for by using
Mu Personal Credit. For the idea is to
offer an integrated range of mobility
solutions, according to this formula:
“TCO + Mu = TCM”. In other words: Total
Cost of Ownership plus Mu equals Total
Cost of Mobility. This offer adds fluidity
to mobility, especially considering the
Mapping of a mobility audit (Velizy)
wide variety of modes of transport. This
also allows for the integration of electric
vehicles, like the iOn.
We are currently in talks with the tax
authorities to clarify the fiscal treatment
of this formula.
3. Mu Open AccessIn this formula, the Mu fleet is available
in a single company or even in an entire
business park. Depending on the rel-
evant mobility policy, the fleet consists
of bicycles, scooters, electric cars and
cars with classic combustion engines.
Mu Open Access is handy for managing
reservations, use and billing.
more to come?
It goes without saying that the right
partnerships are crucial in dealing with
mobility concepts. We experimented an
offer of Train+Scooter service with SNCF
at Paris Montparnasse train station for
two month in september – october 2011.
We are also in relationship with different
companies and partners to co-develop
mobility offers And this year we will also
consolidate the networks we’ve built
up in the eight countries where Mu is
available: France, Belgium, the Uk, the
Netherlands, Germany, Switzerland, Italy
and Spain.
Caroline Thonnon
smart mobility management - n°5 I 52
induStry Carel Bal, Ald Automotive Benelux
“ Mobility is in aLd’s dna” Carel Bal is ALD Automotive’s Gene ral Manager for the Benelux countries. But the Dutchman is also in charge of the international group’s new mobility projects. As such, his vision is truly global.
AlD Netherlands and AlD Belgium are the test
labs for the entire ALD Group, when it comes to
new mobility schemes. “Right here is where we’re
witnessing the most interesting developments”,
says Carel Bal, General Manager ALD Benelux.
There are several reasons for this.
One. Businesses are cutting back on office space. We’re seeing
offices able to accommodate only 60% of their employees. This
is part of trend called the New World of Work, which is particu-
larly strong in the Netherlands. A large number of employees
is no longer able to work at an office desk. These people need
alternatives, either by working from home or at third places. For
this, they need the right equipment. All of that impacts their
mobility needs. In these changed times, some employees will no
longer get a company car. Car sharing and car pooling are on
the rise.
Two. Advances in technology are opening up more possibili-
ties. In the Netherlands, it’s quite easy now to make a reserva-
tion and pay for your train ticket via the leasing company. In
Belgium, the current voucher system will soon be replaced by
electronic payment.
Three. Another important factor are the changing trends in
work ethics. Generations Y and Z, now prominent in urban
settings and in specific IT and consultancy niches, have quite
noticeably different views on mobility. They view ownership of a
car as less important than the correct use of a car.
Four. Several European governments stimulate the downsizing
of car fleets by fiscally targeting CO2 emissions. The Dutch and
Belgian governments have been very clear on this. That’s the
reason why there are so many hybrid vehicles on the roads in
the Netherlands, more than in any other European country.
Carel Bal: “The leasing industry will change more in the coming five years than it has in the last 20 years.”
These four trends are already prevalent in the Benelux countries,
but will also become more prominent in other countries. This is
why the ALD holding’s Mobility Steering Group is very interested
in the developments in the Benelux.
internal communication is key
”A year ago, we drew up a local strategic plan. This internally
produced plan takes into account all of these trends. Its goal is
to prepare our company, and our staff, for the future. For exam-
ple, we’ve produced a video for our employees to highlight the
changes within our industry. For an organisation like ours, it’s
crucial to have everyone on the same page. We need to mobilise
our people. That’s how we fire up the motivation and the desire
to look for solutions.”
how important is Smart mobility management for a lease
company?
Carel Bal: “Any lease company will need to understand the
trends of today, and anticipate those of tomorrow. There will be
much demand for advice, for organisational and conceptual sup-
port for clients. Simply providing services will evolve into adding
value for clients. For example, the expertise of combining dif-
smart mobility management - n°5 I 53
ferent modes of transport and producing mobility solutions that
the client had not even considered.” “In the Netherlands, we’re
already noticing a trend towards leaner lease contracts. Fewer
people than before are getting company cars. The Dutch market
is quite mature, and even shrank by 3% last year. This impacts
the future of our leasing business. Of course, the Netherlands
have always had their share of mobility issues. But the market is
showing signs of transformation. key concepts in the Nether-
lands these days are multimodality and the New World of Work…
To which extent is it up to the lease company to be the
‘integrator’ of mobility services? Does this include the office,
communications, transport?
C.Bal: “In principle, everything is possible. But you should offer
services that are commensurate to your core competences. We
realise that the leasing industry will change more in the coming
five years than it has in the last 20 years. And even if we can’t
predict everything, it’s important for us to ground our thinking
in the future, not the past. And to develop a strategy, even if it
needs constant updating. I do believe we will become a provider
of a range of services, even an integrator of different modes of
transport. Cars, car sharing, train, taxi - all of this linked in real
time, via the latest technology. It’s essential that we’ll be able to
respond to individual mobility needs.”
but who is developing this technology? if i may speak from
personal experience: in several european countries, it’s still
difficult to find a taxi that accepts credit cards.
C.Bal: “Yes, that’s right. There still are many blank spots. But if
you look at the chain of mobility options, from park and ride to
train and taxi… it’s all perfectly possible. Even setting up a credit
note. The smartphone will play a crucial role. As soon as we’ll
be able to make payments via our smartphone, then a lot more
options will become available: booking, organising, paying - eve-
rything will become more flexible.”
are you already seeing those changes with your clients? in
other words, are you following the needs of your clients, or
anticipating on them?
C.Bal: “I think we’re one of the trendsetters on the market.
Which is not to say that we’re seeing a large turnover. But the
future of mobility is in our DNA, and we’re passing it on to our
clients. Is is really necessary for employees to travel? Finding an
answer to that question is also part of ALD’s mobility vision.”
WATCH THe ViDeOALD Automotive has produced a video in 2010 for their employees to highlight the changes within the profession.
QR Code Directions:
1. Open a ‘barcode scanner’ application on your Smartphone
2. Point your phones camera at the code and scan
3. The code will bring you to a mobile site where you can find out more information right from your smart-phone
ALD AND MOBILITY: FAST FACTS > ALD 7 Wheel Lease in Belgium and the Netherlands,
adding Piaggio scooters to the contract.
> ALD Rail Mobility in the Netherlands, via an integrated service attached to the fuel card, and ALD Railease in Belgium, on a voucher system.
> ALD Parking in the Netherlands.
> ALD Sharing in Paris (also being developed in the Benelux)
In Belgium and the Netherlands, ALD Automotive is offering 7 Wheel Lease as one of its mobility solutions: a car plus a scooter.
Companies are talking more and more about mobility budgets
instead of car budgets. That is less simple than in sounds, isn’t
it?
C.Bal: “That’s right. If you offer a range of mobility options
within a single budget, you’re talking about a mobility budget.
This covers both corporate and private use of company vehicles,
and the combination with other modes of transport. This is a
very complex matter, which is the only negative of this concept.
Because once you’ve mastered the complexity, you’re miles
ahead of your competitors.”
What kind of services are we talking about in the concept of a
mobility budget?
C.Bal: “Managing the total budget. And facilitating that budget
via credit card. Everything needs to be taken into account, from
Finance to HR. This implies that mobility will be managed more
and more by HR. Following the crisis of 2008, fleets tended to
fall under the responsibility of the purchasing department. Now,
we see that mobility projects are starting to become one of the
tasks of HR managers, who determine the policies for compen-
sations and benefits.”
What’s the next big step to get mobility management to really
take off?
C.Bal: “In the long term, the real trigger is the demographic evo-
lution. In the short term, it’s the exorbitant rise in fuel prices.”
Caroline Thonnon
smart mobility management - n°5 I 54
induStry Chretien van der Aa, Polycom Benelux
“ Video-communication will become commonplace”
Polycom, the industry leader in unified collaboration solu-tions, plays an essential role in the Smart Mobility Man-agement Concept. Companies are more and more looking for solutions that enable their geographically dispersed workforces to communicate and collaborate effectively and productively over distances.
Using Polycom telepresence, video, voice solu-
tions and services, people connect and collabo-
rate from their desktops, meeting rooms, class
rooms, and mobile settings. We asked Benelux
Country Manager Chretien van der Aa to explain
the benefits of high quality video communications, using just
such a Polycom system for the Brussels/Amsterdam link-up.
What sort of products do you supply, and how do these bring
added value to customers ?
Chretien van der Aa: Typical voice products do form a part
of our business, but most of our business comes from video-
associated products and the infrastructure which makes all this
happen. We provide image and sound quality, and in a visual
communication there is a lot of technology under the surface,
such as the camera automatically detecting who is speaking
and zooming onto that person, who then appears ‘full screen’.
From this voice-only device we obviously moved on to ena-
bling participants to see each other. The newer version of this
visual communication technology includes touch-screens in a
video room, so there is no more long dialling process. We are
in particular making it easier and easier for users to start using
visual communication.
Does this mean that any employee or manager would be able
to use this without asking an iT person to sort it out for him?
C. van der Aa: Absolutely. If you make something which is too
difficult to use, people simply won’t use it. A company’s team
may be in talks with many customers and prospects so making
it easy, making it cheaper and enabling people to use their
time more efficiently can have a substantial impact on a com-
pany. As an added bonus, using these systems helps to reduce
carbon emissions. I want to emphasise just how important the
voice element is. If my picture goes blank, that is not a disaster
– but if all you can see is a talking head but you can’t hear
what it’s saying – it is! So we ensure that we have full stereo
HD voice. Just as the camera follows the person speaking, the
microphones ‘follow’ them around the room if they walk about,
“The next working generation will be used to having video-meetings with their friends on tablets and other devices. Companies will use these things to attract new talent,” Chretien van der Aa.
smart mobility management - n°5 I 55
transmitting the sound from the appropriate speaker. So you
get the feeling that you really are meeting the person at the
other end.
What about return on investment?
C. van der Aa: Well let’s take the example of three people
using a company car to drive from A to B on a regular basis.
This means paying for fuel, paying for insurance, and having
employees use their time for driving a car rather than working
for the company. It is just more or less accepted that people
receive a salary for just sitting in a car – yet when you factor in
all of these ‘hidden’ costs, they can add up to quite a lot. But
if you invest just forty thousand Euros in getting these same
people out of their cars and into a working mode, suddenly
you have a strong business case. There is hardly any reason to
say –‘well I’m not going to invest in that’. Leasing companies
also see these opportunities. We work with a global leasing
company which is willing to provide the equipment to clients
who do not want to pay the upfront cost.
how many employees are necessary to make it an interesting
solution? and how can i be sure, if i buy into this, that i can
talk to anyone outside my own company?
C. van der Aa: Well it isn’t common yet, so there are still a
lot of opportunities and the endpoint still represents quite a
sum of money. But the answer is, it doesn’t matter how many
people there are. What matters is how you use it and what
you are going to change in your business process. One factor
is that while video-conferencing is primarily used within a
company at the moment, it will start to move to external use
too, inter-company use. I will use the example of doctors who
work in more than one hospital. Using HD video images, a
doctor can be physically in one hospital and carry out a biopsy
in another. And adding pictures to the voice improves this
process. The communications process is critical to us all in our
work. Nobody is going to refuse to use the phone or fax, or the
e-mail. These are taken for granted, and what we are doing is
optimising this remote communication network by adding a
further dimension, which is video. These systems work just as
well for a company with three locations and twenty employees,
as for a blue chip company.
Do you see yourselves as being involved in the new World of
Work?
C. van der Aa: Yes, because although the large television
screens which are used in typical meeting rooms will always
be more comfortable to use than tablets, especially when a
number of people or numerous locations are involved, the
same meeting can be held when some of the participants are
using an iPad or tablet. So it is all about mobility and acces-
sibility to data. In reality, a mix and match solution involving
various sorts of hardware will come to be more common, and
as a result the entry costs will be lower and lower.
you presumably have partners?
C. van der Aa: Yes, Microsoft for various types of software
development for example, and major telecommunications
operators such as Belgacom in Belgium, who provide custom-
ers with connectivity. Then we have smaller partners which
come from audio-visual backgrounds. And we have partners
who are involved in specific segments, such as the public sec-
tor and governments.
are there opportunities in an economic crisis such as the
current one?
C. van der Aa : Well companies certainly have to rethink their
strategies in these situations. They have to look at other
markets and other business possibilities, even if you don’t
want to fly to customers every other week, you still can do
business using our technologies for a relatively small outlay.
Another parallel – twenty years ago websites didn’t exist, but
now everybody has one, because people realised they could
do business in a different way. I am convinced that this type of
communications solution will become commonplace too.
Tim Harrup
ABOUT POLYCOM Polycom is a leader in unified voice communications and now employs around 3,000 persons. The company has an extensive presence in the United States, as well as in around twenty five other countries. In Europe Polycom is present in Belgium, Denmark, France, Germany, Italy, the Netherlands, Poland, Russia, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland and Uk. Worldwide turnover is in excess of one billion dollars (figures from 2010). The company invests more than 110 million Euros in R&D each year. More than 400,000 companies are using the services and solutions of Polycom.
“ The more accessible it is, the more companies and individuals will start using it.”
smart mobility management - n°5 I 56
induStry Jan dezutter, interroute
Making video universal
Interoute communications is making it easier for companies to communicate both internally, and with the various other companies with which they interact. Jan Dezutter explains what his company does and how he sees video-communica-tions moving forwards.
There is no doubt that
following the rela-
tively recent commu-
nications revolution
which now means
that almost everyone has a mobile telephone, visual communi-
cation is about to play a much more central role in our lives.
Interoute is generally accepted to be Europe’s largest next
generation network, covering all of the EU with 55,000 km of
cable fibre. The network is connected to data services which
offer cloud services.
Jan Dezutter, Sales Director Benelux: “Companies which
choose to use Interoute do so because we offer an integrated
information technology platform. There are three pillars to this:
unified connectivity, such as the possibility for a company to
build private networks. Once they have built these they can
opt for the second pillar, which is unified communications
services. The third pillar is unified computing which starts with
datacenter infrastructure services (a power, a ping, a pipe and
a data-centre security) right up to a complete cloud offering
where we can either offer the customer the possibility to build
their own virtualised servers on our infrastructure, or with the
aid of our expertise, build their own clouds. Companies also
ask us to manage dedicated services.
Who are your main clients?
Jan Dezutter: We are active in mid-sized to large companies.
At a European level, Deutsche Post and Rentokil are two well
known references. On the more specifically video side, we have
a client called Thrombogenics, active in bio-technology. They
recently became a customer for both network services and
video. We are able to deliver the bandwidth, the network and
the video all together, this is one of our value propositions.
Tell us more about the video offering.
Jan Dezutter: Well you need of course the hardware, and your
bandwidth needs to be dimensioned so that the quality is
guaranteed. But our focus is to make sure that the videocon-
ferencing equipment is used in the perfect meeting environ-
ment. This is very important – small things like colour, the way
the light plays in the room, because we want to give the
Jan Dezutter sees video-communication use extending within and between companies.
smart mobility management - n°5 I 57
customer the ultimate experience, as though the people
involved were talking face to face. We have built a complete
service suite around this, so that customers can have ‘man-
aged video’ if this is what they want. This is a growing trend
both amongst our customers and in general within the market.
People are moving away from purchasing the hardware and
networks separately, towards buying a package which includes
services so that they can demonstrate internally within their
own companies that there is a return in investment. We can
supply video coaches to make sure the customer makes best
use of the video equipment, and understands all of the circum-
stances in which it can be used.
is video always used an in-house use within a single
company?
Jan Dezutter: No, we are able to use our cloud to build con-
nections. These outside entities are by definition not on the
customer’s network – they may be using the internet or have
their own private networks. So we have built a bridge function-
ality out of our cloud, connecting all of these different entities
and enable them to video-communicate with each other. We
can even offer what we call butler or secretary services, where
our people will make the first call to the users, making sure the
camera is right, the lighting is right, and then set the meeting
in motion by introducing the various participants to each other.
We can even take the meeting notes if required, and capture
the whole of the videoconference which is then offered in the
form of a stream. As I said before, we try to ensure that the use
of the system by a customer increases, and if we are monitor-
ing usage for him, we will ask why it isn’t being used this week
as much as it was last week… Education and adoption is a
very important part of having videoconferencing successfully
installed.
how will this industry move forwards?
Jan Dezutter: Inter-company use is certainly one way in which
progress will be made, but on top of this, video will start to
be used by everybody, not just the privileged few at the top
of a company. I believe that we will move to a situation where
people will ‘video’ each other in the same way that they phone
each other now. The importance of being able to see each
other when communicating is demonstrated by the fact that
55% of communication is non-verbal – body language etc.
I think that the next big thing will not necessarily be from a
technological perspective, but from a day-to-day perspective.
This suggests that not all video-communication will be done
from a specific room.
Jan Dezutter: That is absolutely right. This can also be done from
a desktop using a screen and camera connected to a PC. We call
this a single screen device. It is incredibly simple both to install
(within a couple of minutes) and to use, with a touch-screen com-
mand pad at the side. This also provides high quality images and
it enables you to load your active directory into the system and
then scroll down and connect to the person you want to se. This
can also be connected to a videoconference taking place in dedi-
cated rooms, so that not everybody has to physically move to the
designated videoconference suite. It is great for people who are
on the move and on the road a lot. You can be in a location some-
where in Europe and join in with a videoconference between two
suites in Europe and the USA…
Tim harrup
The ‘single screen device’ brings videoconferencing within reach of all. Tandberg Cisco is a partner in the hardware area, along with Polycom and Lifesize.
We thank the Smart Mobility Management Event sponsors for their support. Our partners:
smart mobility management - n°5 I 59
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AZ_AlphaCity_210x297_111117_2_RZ.indd 1 17.11.2011 18:09:51 Uhr