Going on a trip is always a bit of an adventure. Before you leave, you often need to ask yourself a few questions. The two most important ones are: Where do I want to go, and, How do I get there? Both questions influence each other, it is for example difficult to get to Cairo by car. Yet without thinking we choose the plane and the car to often. On Saturday 29 July 2023, for instance, France narrowly missed a traffic jam record. Can't we do things differently or, in other words, can't we do things more sustainably? Some Mbrellians share how they use their mobility budget to travel more sustainable.
Anne-Cécile went bikepacking in Slovenia and Austria. She opted for a 16-hour Flixbus ride to get to her starting point. In return, she experienced the following benefits:
🍀 Eco-friendly: Helping the planet by taking the bus!
💰 Budget-friendly: Saving money for more fun activities in Austria!
🚲 No bike disassembly: The bikes come along without any hassle!
📖 Reading Paradise: She is a big fan of reading, so those 16 hours will be put to good use!
Below is a comparison of Co2 emissions, time and price for some potential transport modes for Anne-Cécile's trip. She bought her bus ticket online via her Mbrella Pay mobility payment card.
Jeroen went by public transport through northern Europe with Riga as his final destination. For this, he used his mobility budget. This way, he got a net refund of the cost of public transport from his employer. Jeroen used trains and buses to go from city to city, making it much more sustainable than travelling by car. Likewise, you always arrive in the city centrally, and don't have to look for a parking space.
The public transport tickets were booked six months in advance which had both its advantages and disadvantages, Jeroen said. The main advantage is that the tickets are cheaper then, so you certainly don't pay more than if you went by car. The main disadvantage is that there had been some travel changes through time. As a result, he could no longer fully follow the planned itinerary. As a traveller, you definitely need a certain flexibility in this case.
Jannie went to Paris at the end of last year, she too used her mobility budget, this to book her Thalys to Paris. She uses her mobility budget mainly for her rent, but in December she decided to go to Paris, by using part of her remaining mobility budget. In Paris, she used her Mbrella Pay mobility payment card to pay for metro tickets in Paris quickly and easily.
So how can you travel sustainable? Of course, this depends on many factors. One thing is certain. The legal mobility budget not only makes your employees' commutes more sustainable, it also makes your employees plan their travel plans differently and make them more sustainable. So as a company, you not only have a positive sustainable impact on the daily commute, but also on your employees' private trips. Employees who are less convinced about public transport can also put their mobility budget to good use when travelling. For example, you can rent a car for thirty days or pay for taxi rides with the mobility budget.
