“FREE NOW gathers many mobility services under one roof”
The all-encompassing mobility app doesn't exist yet, but corporate mobility can already benefit from apps like FREE NOW that gather many kinds of ground transportation, says Fabio Griemens, Director Strategy & Operations at FREE NOW for Business.
FREE NOW for Business is a Diamond Partner of the Smart Mobility Conference. Fabio Griemens joins a breakout session at 3pm on mobility budgets. Have a look at the full programme.
Why is it or isn’t it necessary to wait for that one all-encompassing mobility app to start with Corporate Mobility?
That kind of app doesn't exist yet but there are many things travel managers can put in place already. Indeed travel managers can work on a compliant travel policy programme, communicate this travel policy to make sure it’s respected across their businesses, assess the current mobility needs of their employees, or get to know more about the offering available in the market and think about their ambition.
I would say that the most important is to partner with a ground transportation provider which is aligned to their internal travel policy regarding CSR, commitments, tech promises. Even if this mobility app offer is not available yet, travel managers can grow with the provider they choose and once it’s ready, quickly put this in place if they already work with a company building this technology.
What makes ride-hailing and PHV services key within a mobility programme in Europe and what are the criteria for a customer to select the partner that fits his or her programme?
Ride-hailing and PHV services are key to mobility programmes in Europe because they're still one of the most prominent ways users choose to travel in their cities, and users can easily use their phones to grab transport, wherever they find themselves. However, on-demand is not a new trend, it’s the means of access for all industries: food, deliveries, mobility. Actually, the way we move has changed alongside the growth of technology and the mobile phone has become the way to order rides quickly and efficiently.
Also, travel policies need to evolve according to what the employees are really using in terms of tools and the way they want to move. Ridehailing apps like FREE NOW gather many mobility services under one roof – like PHV, taxis, e-moped, e-bikes, e-scooters – and allow passengers to choose the one that fits their personal movement needs best.
In the end, there is no one-size-fits-all solution. Customers focus on price, duty of care, arrival times, in-app experience, payment methods and more when it comes to choosing the apps they use. Providing the unique mix of taxi & PHV puts us in a great position to service not only high-end, established black cab users, but also younger start-ups, with a slick and easy to manage ground transportation solution.
What can fleet and mobility customers expect in terms of innovation and expansion from FREE NOW in 2021?
In my opinion, they can expect an app which is closer to employee needs with more flexibility, more connectivity, and a greater commitment to sustainability. But also a mobility solution which gathers all the modes of ground transportation they use across multiple apps currently, into one easy-to-use place.
Of course, sustainability is a huge part of our 2021 ambition. By 2030, we’ll have all of our fleet running with electric vehicles and we’ve already started to offset all emissions created by our app users. Since January 2021, all of our trips have been carbon neutral.
We'll also have various partner integrations from payment solutions (Airplus, Diners, AMEX) to expense solutions (Cytric, Concur) and duty of care (ISOS, Healix, etc) to provide an awesome user experience across Europe.
Finally, the ‘Mobility Budget’ is our big project for 2021, giving our business users one app with many amazing mobility services, and one subscription to use them all. This is not only a tech revolution for mobility, it’s also a great way for our clients to keep their employees happy and to appeal to talent.
Photo: Fabio Griemens, Director Strategy & Operations, FREE NOW for Business
