6 tips to encourage a different way of travelling

If you would like your employees to travel in other, more sustainable ways, there are several things you need to arrange. Of course you can provide them with a multi-modal Mobility Card, mobility app or flexible kilometre allowance, but that’s not enough. Because how do you get your employees to actually travel differently? Changing behaviour takes time and is difficult. Fortunately, as an employer, you can facilitate this process well. And the tips below will help with this.

Changing your ways is not easy. We’re all creatures of habit. Your employees will be happy to try something different, but it has to be easy, without hassle or figuring out how something works. Make an inventory of any obstacles that stand in the way of adopting different travel behaviour and remove these as much as possible. There are plenty of options. We’ll list a few for you:

• Crowded trains > allow first class travel
• Not knowing how something works > create clear instructions for use and videos
• Unfamiliar with new forms of mobility > organise demo days at your office about electric transport or shared mobility
• Unfamiliar with alternative routes and options > perform a mobility scan based on the home-work location and provide employees with personal travel advice
• Uncertainty > 24/7 friendly help desk for round-the-clock assistance, wherever you are

Proper input is vital. Ask your employees what they think is important and how they can and want to travel sustainably. Include their responses in your policies or support measures. For example, interviews may show that employees like to cycle, but would like an alternative in case of rain or wind. In this case, a Mobility Card that can be used for public transport or a shared car would be a welcome addition to the bicycle.

Choose the right time to implement changes. A move to a new location near a railway station makes it easier to travel by public transport. Yet the current situation regarding working from home and the necessary limitation of travel movements is another suitable time to implement change. After all, we all now need to rethink how we work and reshape our travels. Take advantage of that.

Rewards are an effective trigger to change travel behaviour. It really works and there are some great possibilities to experiment with this:

• Reimburse sustainable kilometres at a higher rate than you do car kilometres
• Allow people to save points for the sustainable kilometres they travel
• Organise a competition or mobility challenge
• Openly compliment and share success stories

You know the expression: lead by example. Many organisations therefore use ambassadors to promote different ways of travelling. You often see this in bicycle promotion campaigns, for example. The ambassadors enjoy cycling, are able to convince others and are happy to share their story.

Introducing new measures can be quite exciting. That’s why it’s a good idea to first test the waters with a small group of employees. This gives you insight into what employees value, what they find difficult and the do’s and don’ts. Before you roll out organisation-wide, you can still make the necessary adjustments to increase convenience or clarify communication. If you want to set up a pilot and offer different forms of sustainable transport, mobility parties such as XXImo can organise this for you professionally.

Implementing a new mobility plan and changing travel behaviour will only be successful if the employee understands the background of the new policy, the consequences of the changes and the benefits for him or her. The power of repetition can be effective in that respect. The message must be communicated more often, with personal communication being the most suitable form. Therefore, pay proper attention to a strong communication plan.

XXImo has been active in the world of mobility for more than a decade and has already helped many employers with the implementation of new mobility regulations. We know successes and pitfalls, help you with a proper introduction of your new mobility policy to employees and offer supporting means of communication and tailor-made advice.

In this session, we look together at the possibilities for your organisation and share with you the success stories of our customers.