Your mobility policy can turn commuting into a competitive advantage

‍During her keynote at Crossroads, Freya Vandaele from Traject mentioned "Cities are constantly evolving… we have limited space available,”. That constraint is both a problem and an opportunity for employers. The way HR and Fleet Managers design their mobility today, is a lever to improve recruitment, retention, safety and total cost of work-related travel.

Why mobility belongs in the HR strategy

• Commuting accounts for ~25% of urban traffic. Meaning, what your company offers shapes city mobility patterns.
• Mobility affects employee wellbeing, inclusion and operational costs (think last-mile logistics and parking).

“Your workplace choices aren’t just internal HR decisions, they’re levers for urban change. When you offer flexible mobility options, you actively shape how your city moves.” — Freya Vandaele, Product Manager at Traject

If your mobility policy is aligned with your company culture, it actually becomes an employer-brand differentiator, and not just a simple benefits line on a contract.

Seven urban mobility trends to know

Freya highlighted seven durable trends shaping how people travel in Belgian cities. Use these to future-proof your policies.

1. Shared mobility is scaling‍

Example stat from the keynote: there are roughly 50,000 shared vehicles in Belgium (shared bikes, e-scooters, cars). Importantly, one shared car can replace 3–10 private cars, freeing public space and reducing costs.

2. Multimodality is rising

“One out of four commuters regularly switches between car and bike.” Mobility tools (to plan, book, pay) enable employees to combine modes easily and efficiently.

3. Pedestrian-first

People still walk! 15% of Belgian trips are by foot (4% for commuting). Some of your employees might be part of these 15%. Workplaces should be designed to connect safely to pedestrian routes and public transport.

4. Autonomous vehicles (AVs) are coming .

Pilots (e.g., autonomous buses in Leuven) show the tech is at work now. While the uptake is mixed with only 8% of Belgians would dare a driverless taxi, AVs could improve road safety, reduce emissions, and create new operational roles.

5. Urban logistics: bikes win the last mile.‍

Parcel deliveries doubled recently; Brussels leads with cycle deliveries. Yet only ~1% of parcels are bike-delivered, while studies suggest ~30% could be. This would mean faster, cheaper last-mile options are feasible.

6. Vehicle diversity

From fat-bikes to speed pedelecs and VLEs (“Véhicules Légers Intermédiaires” in French, literally meaning “Light Intermediate Vehicles.”), variety raises questions about regulation, safety and benefit design (e.g., bike-lease programs must accommodate diverse bike types).

7. Safety remains the elephant in the room.

Cycling accidents represent a rising share of incident reports even as cycling increases. Freya reminds us: “60% of all bicycle accidents were with motorized traffic.” Ambitions like Vision Zero matter, and companies must factor safety into policy design.

The Three I’s (Information, Infrastructure, Incentives)

Freya presented a clear, practitioner-friendly model HR and Fleet teams can apply immediately.

1. Information: Make choices easy

• Communicate early and often: onboarding, regular campaigns, multiple formats. “Repeat, repeat, repeat.”
• Provide trip planning, clear instructions for reimbursements, and FAQs. Freya’s tip for better reach? Post flyers in restrooms.
• Use data to track engagement, barriers and impact. Be careful to use it, not to track employees, but to improve services.

Quick wins: mobility welcome pack, dedicated intranet page, monthly mobility KPI dashboard.

2. Infrastructure: Remove friction

• Physical: secure bike parking, shower facilities, EV chargers, guidance.
• Digital: reservation apps for parking/chargers, app integrations, booking platforms for pool cars.
• Visible infrastructure signals long-term strategy, so tie investments to commitment.

Quick wins: audit current bike parking and chargers; install a digital booking tool for meeting-day parking.

3. Incentives: Align choices with culture

• Go beyond the company car: bike lease, public transport reimbursements, car-sharing credits, legal mobility budget implementation.
• Link incentives to company values and wellbeing: bonuses for car-pooling, flexible working to reduce stressful commutes.

Quick wins: pilot a bike lease + mobility budget option for a team; reward carpool champions.

Where Should You Start?

Freya shared a practical tool for HR and mobility managers: the Ambition Pyramid.

It helps you understand where your company stands today and what your next realistic steps could be, without having to overhaul everything at once.

The pyramid is about how mature your organisation is in offering mobility as part of the employee experience.

• Starter: ad-hoc actions, little planning.Mobility is handled reactively. You respond to requests as they come such as providing a new hire with a car, giving someone a train pass… but there’s no clear structure.
  
  • From an HR lens: You may be missing out on engagement data and flexibility benefits.
  • Tip: Start by collecting insights. Run a short mobility survey to understand what employees really need.
• Intermediate: quick wins, periodic campaigns.You’re experimenting with a few initiatives, maybe a bike leasing program, hybrid work rules, or public transport subscriptions… but there’s no overall policy.
  
  • From an HR lens: You’re building flexibility, but communication is ad-hoc.
  • Tip: Link these mobility perks to your broader employer branding and benefits communication.
• Advanced: structural initiatives, dedicated budget.Mobility is managed proactively. You have a clear budget, KPIs, and a cross-functional team (HR, Finance, maybe Sustainability) working together.
  
  • From an HR lens: This is where mobility becomes a lever for well-being, retention, and inclusion.
  • Tip: Introduce a mobility policy that aligns with career levels and total reward philosophy.
• Front-Runner: Mobility is fully integrated into your HR strategy and company culture. Employees see it as a benefit that reflects your values (flexibility, sustainability, and people-oriented).
  
  • From an HR lens: Mobility is part of your Employee Value Proposition (EVP). It’s a perk, but also part of your culture.
  • Tip: Keep innovating. Use data to personalize mobility benefits and support your sustainability story.

“It’s not about one-size-fits-all solutions. Every company, just like every city, has its own mobility DNA. Start by understanding where you are, then build from there together with your people.” — Freya Vandaele, Product Manager at Traject

Action for HR leaders:

Run a one-hour internal workshop with HR, Fleet, and Finance to map your company on the pyramid. Then identify:

• One quick win (for example, improve communication about existing mobility benefits), and
• One strategic step (such as developing a unified mobility and benefits policy).

This simple exercise helps HR leaders move from reactive administration to strategic enablement, turning mobility into a key component of employee engagement and talent attraction.

A tactical 8-point checklist for Mobility Managers

1. Map employee journeys and modal split (survey + anonymised travel data).
2. Publish a short mobility policy aligned with company culture.
3. Offer flexible options: bike lease, public transport, car-sharing, and a mobility budget.
4. Invest in visible infrastructure (bike parking, chargers, guidance).
5. Launch an information campaign: onboarding + repeated nudges.
6. Pilot multimodal mobility tools for route planning and booking.
7. Review safety rules for business travel (helmets? e-bike rules? insurance?).
8. Measure: KPIs on modal shift, cost per km, employee satisfaction and incident rates.

Example employer scenarios

• Small tech firm (50 people): Start with a bike lease + secure parking and a monthly mobility stipend. Run a 3-month pilot of a multimodal app and measure uptake.
• Large enterprise (1,500 people): Integrate mobility into the global benefits catalogue, deploy charging infrastructure, and set a 2-year roadmap to reduce single-occupancy car commuting by X%.

“What about safety and liability?” → Make safety policies clear, include training, ensure insurance covers new modes (cargo bikes, e-bikes).

“Employees want flexibility.” → Design modular benefits, not one-size-fits-all. Freya: “It must be co-created with clients… it’s no one solution for all.”

Final takeaway

There is a huge diversity in urban mobility and a corresponding diversity in your workforce. What you offer employees can really support the urban mobility of the future. Make mobility part of your people strategy to shape not only commutes, but the city.