Towards market maturity: Smart Mobility Institute 3
Brussels Airport is more than the mobility hub for visitors of the European capital, it is also, and for the third time in a row, the host city of the Smart Mobility Institute (SMI). The SMI is the cross-functional best practice sharing think thank of corporate fleet and mobility customers willing to go smart mobility. During a 24 hour power event, a dialogue between the different players in the ecosystem aims to push the sector forward and enhance the corporate mobility offering.
The old and the new
The third edition of the SMI has proven to be a unique opportunity for 5 vendors to introduce their latest mobility solution and receive direct feedback from the buyer community. Athlon Car Lease, Sixt and Thalys are the more established players, whilst Vaigo and newcomer CMaaS challenge status quo; both the old and the new however work hard to grow the mobility market and convince the client to start the transition to mobility.
The power of local
Steven Schoefs, Fleet Europe’s Chief Editor, asked Stuart Donnelly (Sixt) why the transition from Fleet to MaaS is such a challenge. Stuart reminds us that clients seem to be waiting for the “superapp”, the solution that includes all possible mobility solutions that works flawlessly across Europe. William Ireson (CMaaS) adds: “We need to accept that mobility performs better locally than regionally – there are no regional providers. On the other hand, we also see that the needs of employees vary fundamentally from geo to geo. Therefore, the constraint of staying local comes from the supply chain, indeed, but also from client.”
Start small
When asked how his clients approach mobility, Paul Bouwmeester from Athlon says: “It’s a big step for our clients and we can only conclude that they are very careful. Our advice, as a leasing provider, is to start thinking flexibility first: more flexible lease contract can help clients to make a first step towards a new world.” Paul is joined by Houda Draouil, Thalys: “Transition happens step by step and become more acceptable when triggers happen. Sustainability is such a trigger that can change the mindset of employer and employee.”
Car as a default
Tom Broos, Vaigo: “Trying to get people to return their car keys is not the right approach. It’s impossible, at the current state of the supply chain, to replace the comfort and accessibility of a car by mobility solutions. What is perfectly doable however, is to give people options to use their cars less. To achieve this, the employer needs to figure out what could motivate an employee to use alternatives. For one employee, sustainability might be important whilst the other employee would like to cycle to work and lose some weight.” William from CMaaS joins Tom: “Mobility needs to be revisited as a benefit rather than an alternative to a car. It’s fundamentally a Total Rewards tool.”
Success factors
Steven ended the engaging panel discussion by asking the speakers about the main success factor for mobility. Most of panel say it’s technology, but also providing choice and finding the right partners are key elements of a mobility strategy.
