How to make subscription-based mobility work

“Moving to subscription-based and shared-mobility solutions will further optimise the utilisation of mobility assets, resulting in both environmental benefits and efficiency gains,” said Alain Visser, CEO of Lynk & Co International, during the Corporate Mobility Panel discussion at the 2021 Fleet Europe Summit on 10 November (picture above).

This, along with other thought-provoking statements such as “Owning a car will quickly become old fashioned,” perfectly summed up the shift that is currently taking place within corporate mobility. But the reactions of many of the delegates at the Fleet Europe Summit made me realise that subscription-based mobility is still largely shrouded in mystery. And that’s why the theme for the next digital Smart Mobility Institute session, on 9 December, will be ‘How to make subscription-based mobility work?’.

Thanks to the success of companies like Netflix, Spotify and HelloFresh, most people today have become used to paying a monthly fee in exchange for an on-demand supply of goods and services – from entertainment and luxury items to groceries and meal kits. The continuing growth in demand for subscription-based services represents a wider cultural shift in consumer behaviour from an ownership model to an access model.

Subscription-based mobility goes beyond cars

Signs of this shift have been evident in the personal mobility sector for some time. In fact, a travel card based on a monthly or annual fee for good-old public transport is a classic example of subscription-based mobility. But anything with wheels that gets you from A to B can be offered as a subscription-based service: bicycles, e-bikes, mopeds, etc. And nowadays, especially among millennials, the access model is also becoming increasingly popular for cars as an alternative to owning or leasing.

Flexible, efficient and sustainable

Subscription-based mobility offers numerous advantages for users. Besides having on-demand access to mobility (whether a car, a bicycle, an e-bike or whatever), users also benefit from services such as insurance, preventive maintenance, and roadside assistance. Additionally, subscriptions offer more flexibility, since they can be arranged for shorter periods of time (e.g. a month), amended (e.g. upgraded if you need to go on a longer journey or travel with others) and even put on hold for a while when not needed. Moreover, technology allows users to seamlessly access multiple sustainable forms of mobility on a subscription basis. Hence, subscription-based mobility is a logical next step in the shift away from ownership.

But is it a viable solution for your company and your employees? What are the pros and cons for you and your workforce? And how can you make it work in practice?

Join us to explore these and other questions together with smart corporate mobility frontrunners and tech-savvy experts during our next Smart Mobility Institute session on 9 December between 2 and 5 pm CET.  Discover the complete programme and register for free. And download our latest Smart Mobility Institute E-Paper, called 'The Brave New World of Car and Mobility Policies' for free. 

Author: Saskia Harreman, Corporate Mobility Expert, Fleet Europe