Mobility TAO REQUESTS OPTIMAL LOGISTICS AND FINANCIAL INCENTIVES
It has been over a year since the catering service was brought in-house. What evaluation can we make on this matter?
TAO-AFI, the Association of Independent Officials, was the first staff association that asked our employer to make efforts for a more sustainable mobility. Experience has proved in several member States that the best incentives to achieve behavioural changes are a combination of comfortable infrastructure and financial perks. Therefore, an increased number of bicycle parking spaces (including for electric bikes) and showers was part of our requests. We also asked the Commission several times to look into a more result-oriented reimbursement of commuters’ expenses: 100% reimbursement of all public transport subscriptions, and a mileage allowance for cyclists and pedestrians.
Certainly, the Commission has tried to increase the number of bicycle racks and showers following the increase in the number of cyclists. However, the Commission’s efforts to increase capacity was not sufficient. Unfortunately, our employer took no initiative towards establishing more rational financial incentives for a sustainable commuting.
Part-time telework is expected to become the “new normal” after the peak of the pandemic. This makes it necessary to take up new ideas for promoting sustainable commuting. The Commission’s reimbursement scheme should from now on include -apart from the “abonnement” – also transport tickets such as rail-passes, keycards (now called “local multi”), weekly subscriptions and other public transport solutions that will increasingly be used by part-time teleworkers. This would be a first step towards a more realistic and comprehensive mobility concept. It is the Commission’s duty as an employer to develop a mobility policy that is in line with the principles it preaches as a policy maker.
TAO-AFI will continue to remind our employer of our expectations.