Insight: How deep is your love…for your private car?

25 November 2019

Autovista Group Product Manager Car To Market & Consulting, Jennifer Bilatscheck reports on the Women in Mobility Summit 2019

What do you need to get rid of your private car? Are there currently not enough alternative mobility solutions, are they too fragmented or is the matter more one of convenience? Questions like these were discussed during the Women in Mobility Summit 2019 (14-15 November) in Frankfurt in the Deutsche Bahn Systel Silver Tower with 180 women out of the German, Swiss and Austrian mobility sector.

Answers vary greatly by region, size of the city and user. In smaller towns, and particularly in the countryside, the alternative mobility offer in the public and private transport sector is very limited and sometimes even non-existent. Leaving the car at home and switching over to another means of transport not an option for many. Surprisingly, in larger towns, more transport options do not automatically lead to significantly higher usage of alternative transport possibilities.

People do not want to have 20 different apps for renting e-scooters (in markets where this is legal) or bikes, for using the train or bus – mobility solutions have to be connected, applications have to be simple and intuitive. And mostly, mobility solutions have to be convenient, allow for maximum flexibility and ensure time-efficient transportation to the desired destination.

It will be some time before private cars are used less, or a real choice is not to buy a car and use alternative mobility solutions more frequently – ideally emission-free. Emission-free transport solutions should be included in company’s mobility budget concepts, which was a discussion topic at the summit.

Companies offering a mobility budget for their employees should not simply offer a specific amount of money, which can be spend individually on a train ticket, taxi, or e-scooter. From an environmental perspective, these incentives would not be the best fit. Imagine people usually travelling by bike to work decide to spend their mobility budget on a taxi instead.

Therefore, the mobility budget should rather incentivise CO2-neutral transportation and consists of a ″ CO2 budget″ instead of a monetary budget. Throughout the whole event with engaging discussions about the future of mobility and inspiring keynote speakers, ranging from an analogue astronaut to the vice-mayor of Vienna, the female perspective was always present. The summit was an inspiring change as the majority of such events in the automotive and mobility industry are dominated by male participants.