Schoenen Boonants

Schoenen Boonants rethinks employee mobility

Read about how this Ghent family business was faced with government mobility decisions and the challenges resulting from them, and the surprising decisions to which such situations sometimes lead.

The highlights of Schoenen Boonants

Highlight 1

100%

of employees travel with De Lijn

Highlight 2

100%

prepaid

Highlight 3

Third-party payer scheme

easier than individual reimbursement

Highlight 4

0 euros

parking costs

Position

The new traffic scheme was launched in Ghent at the beginning of April 2017. For Schoenen Boonants, a family business with two branches right in the car-free centre of Ghent, the new scheme presented serious challenges. How would their employees get in and out of the city quickly and easily after the scheme came into effect? And how could they cope with sky-rocketing parking charges for their employees? They viewed the changes as an opportunity and took a fresh approach to their employees’ travel between home and work. They now offer every employee a De Lijn travel pass paid for through the third-party payer scheme. This was financially beneficial, and its employees can now get in and out of the city smoothly. That’s what you call win-win. It also shows that De Lijn is there for small businesses too.

E-bike or De Lijn travel pass

Business managers, Danny and Joris D’hont at Schoenen Boonants are happy to take you through their story

Until October 2016, all Schoenen Boonants employees drove to work and the company paid their parking costs. Then the city changed its parking policy and with the imminent introduction of the traffic scheme it became financially unsustainable to continue paying parking costs. At this point, the business managers, Danny and Joris D’hont, started thinking about alternatives. 

In October, they gave all their employees the choice between an e-bike or a free travel pass valid on all De Lijn buses and trams.  “It was quite a daring move, for sure,” says Joris. “Our three employees opted for a De Lijn travel pass. They can drive to a park-and-ride, where they park for free. Then they take the bus or tram to the centre. The stops are within walking distance of both our shops. Often they’re even closer than the car parks where they used to leave their cars.”

Change isn’t always easy

The new approach works well for one of their employees. Since last October she has been leaving her car at a park-and-ride on the outskirts of the city every day and then taking the tram or bus. Things didn’t go as well for two others, who left Schoenen Boonants. Joris comments: “Of course we were asking our employees to change their mentality, and not everyone is ready to do that right away.” Yet they still believe in their new approach. “We tested it out ourselves. The combination of park-and-ride plus a tram takes the same amount of time as driving into the city centre. That’s still something that a lot of people wouldn’t expect.” 

But most importantly, their approach is in line with the city’s new traffic scheme. The scheme divides the city into sectors, and it’s no longer possible to cross the city by car. Buses, trams and cyclists can still cross it, though. This new situation requires adjustments on the part of residents, employers, employees and visitors. “As a business you have to change along with the city. Everyone must do their part. We are now opting for travel by bicycle, tram and bus within the city.”

Combined mobility

The two business managers themselves always cycle to work. And to transport goods between the two stores, they recently purchased an e-bike trailer. “When we hire new people these days, we offer them the standard choice between a De Lijn travel pass or an e-bike.” A new employee was recruited recently. Joris comments: “Everything went well from the start. She lives on the other side of Ghent and travels to work every day by tram.”  

“I strongly believe in the synergy between trams, bicycles and cars. Of course you can’t always use a bike or tram. If I have to go to Antwerp for a new collection, I take the car. At the same time, parking beneath the church tower is not how we live today. Bicycles, trams and buses are perfect for getting around in Ghent. You feel that the city is alive. Most of our customers today arrive on foot, by tram or by bicycle. And parking at the park-and-ride is free. So why not?”

De Lijn is the new standard

Working with De Lijn has been a pleasure. “It only took one phone call to arrange everything.” The business pays for the travel passes. The employees don’t have to arrange anything themselves, and their travel passes are even sent to their homes.  “That’s convenient for us,” says Joris. “But it’s also financially beneficial. We now pay a lot less than when we had to cover the parking costs. And our employees can use their travel pass for all their trips all year. Our employee who lives in the city definitely sees this as a big advantage. Yes, De Lijn is the new standard for us.”

Benefits of collaboration with De Lijn at a glance

• Travel passes for every employee 

• Strong financial benefit (De Lijn travel pass vs. expensive parking charges) 

• Fiscally advantageous (fully tax-deductible, including for small businesses)  

• Simple and flexible collaboration with De Lijn 

• Less administration (including for small organisations)

About Schoenen Boonants

Schoenen Boonants is a family business with two branches in the centre of Ghent.  Shoes are its trade: from trainers to genuine ballroom dance shoes. Schoenen Boonants has been a well-known name in Ghent for six decades, and as such it is cherished although a lot has changed in recent times, with the opening of a second branch, some renovations and recently the setting up of a webshop. 

You can find Schoenen Boonants at www.schoenenboonants.be.

A customised proposal for your organisation

Would you like to know exactly how economical your employees’ commuting could be? Request your quotation now.

Request for third-party payer agreement

Discover other case studies

Are you curious to see the results that other organisations have achieved?

Your options

There are various options available to you as an organisation to offer your employees appropriate and affordable public transport.

Contribution towards travel pass

Do you want to reduce your (mobility) costs but without lots of extra administration? Use contributions for travel passes.

Businesses

Intervention in the 10-journey ticket - Business

Do your employees commute to work 1 to 2 times per week or do they frequently have business trips? Then the business 10-journey ticket is the solution: a flexible and cost-effective travel ticket.

Contribution towards a 50-journey ticket

The most flexible ticket for occasional journeys. Purchased or reimbursed by your employer.

Contribution for tickets

Not all your employees travel to work the same way every day. Sometimes they make business trips by car, and sometimes they use public transport. A flexible pattern of mobility like this requires a flexible solution.

Businesses

Tickets via the app

Easy and cheap: that is what the digital ticket is all about. This digital ticket is the cheapest way of paying for a single journey by bus or tram. Your employees request an ticket using the app, and you pay the invoice afterwards.

Businesses