Arval Mobility Platform offers companies an easy way to implement their mobility budget

Today, on World Car Free Day, mobility solutions company Arval Belgium is launching a unique platform that helps companies make the most of each employee's personal mobility budget with an associated app. The Arval Mobility App was developed in collaboration with Belgian software company Optimile and calculates the optimal route for each journey an employee needs to make and indicates what means of transport is best in each case.

"The app is very useful and efficient now that all companies are looking beyond just company cars in terms of their employees' mobility. For instance, you can use the app to pay for public transport tickets or bike shares."

- Laurent Loncke, General Manager of Arval Belgium

The Belgian government has a number of ambitious targets to make the automotive industry more sustainable. For example, it wants company cars to be emission-free by 2026 and supports smart commuting. The government created the federal mobility budget three years ago to make commuting more sustainable. Employees can use this budget to exchange their company car for a (small) more environmentally friendly car in combination with alternatives such as an (e-)bike, electric scooter, public transport pass, accommodation expenses and/or cash.

In addition to the federal mobility budget, many companies are currently considering transitioning from a car policy to a mobility policy that also gives employees access to alternative modes of transport. Consequently, Arval Belgium, an expert in mobility solutions and Belgian market leader in car leasing, is now launching the Arval Mobility Platform and the Arval Mobility App. From now on, these digital solutions will put an end to all the administrative hassle often accompanying combined mobility solutions.

The Arval Mobility Platform allows employers to set up their mobility policy according to their specific needs. The platform also gives them up-to-date and accurate information on how employees are meeting their mobility needs and can use these insights to further refine their mobility policies. This allows all employee mobility solutions to be managed on the same platform. Moreover, all this will be directly linked to the payroll managed by the payroll service provider. The platform displays the actual situation at all times so that wages are always calculated correctly based on the individual mobility plans.

The application is connected to the platform and enables employees to use their personal budgets efficiently on a wide range of transport options based on their needs and wishes.

"The app includes a route planner that looks at how long a certain route takes and also finds the best mobility choice for each individual user. It will let you know whether it is more appropriate and efficient to get to your destination by car, bicycle, public transport or by combining several modes of transport."

- Laurent Loncke, General Manager of Arval Belgium

The user can buy a ticket from the most suitable mobility provider via the integrated route planner or directly in the app. The app's route planner currently includes the services from providers such as De Lijn, SNCB-NMBS, STIB-MIVB, TEC, Velo Antwerpen, Blue Bike, Donkey Republic, Lime, Poppy and Cambio. 4411 on-street parking is also integrated in the app. Other mobility providers will also be integrated gradually.

Data from Arval's customers shows that companies and their employees are approaching mobility in a far more sustainable way. In 2019, Arval Belgium's customers' enthusiasm for company bikes was still fairly limited with 1,000 leased bicycles, but that number has already tripled to 3,000 now. An equally remarkable evolution is that three years ago, only two per cent of company cars for Arval staff were all-electric. Today, that number is already one in four and is set to rise rapidly even more. Arval employees can now only choose from a range of all-electric company cars, which they can charge at one of the 102 charging stations available near Arval headquarters.

"Arval Belgium launched the Arval Beyond strategy in 2020. The aim is to evolve from a car leasing company to a mobility provider by 2025. It is how Arval wants to contribute to a better living environment, the energy transition, the mobility shift and reduced carbon emissions. Halfway through this long-term plan, our company is well on its way to achieving this ambition. The new application is just one example of how our company comes up with the solutions the market needs."

- Laurent Loncke, General Manager of Arval Belgium

The Arval Mobility Platform and Arval Mobility App were developed in collaboration with Optimile, a Belgian software development company specialising in Mobility-as-a-Service (MaaS) and Charging-as-a-Service (CaaS).

"Accelerating eMobility initiatives is fully in line with Arval's vision and ambition, which is fully committed to smart mobility. Arval Belgium and Optimile have therefore collaborated to develop an app that integrates both Optimile's Mobility as-a-Service platform and Arval Belgium's leasing services. The MaaS platform offers companies important administrative simplification. This is very important now that more and more new HR strategies and federal mobility budgets are being introduced."

- An De Pauw, CEO Optimile