Evaluation after one year of bicycle leasing at Belgium’s largest printing group

What preceded

Graphius counts 320 collaborators and is the largest printing firm of the country. The company realised quite a number of take-overs which led to certain organisational changes. “We had been playing with the idea of a bicycle leasing project for our collaborators for quite a while, but it took until 2018 before the ball really started rolling”, explains Ellen De Vuyst, HR Manager at the Ghent plant. “In former years we used to be a small company with people living in the vicinity, but this has changed now.

The ever-increasing cost of commuting and the limited number of parking places forced us to think about a more sustainable way of organising the mobility issue. Meeting o2o was therefore a logical step in our story.”

Teaming up with o2o

“For us, user friendliness and no extra worries were the most important conditions for making this project a success,” continues Mrs De Vuyst. “o2o’s Fleet & HR app was a perfect response to that. All files can be followed-up quite easily, everything is automated and the app is being updated at fixed intervals. Our entire HR team are delighted.”

Together with o2o the company has worked out a budget neutral formula focussing on maximal freedom of choice for the collaborators. “o2o also gave professional support when processing the company specific data and integrating all fiscal aspects,” continues Mrs De Vuyst. “Reasons enough for choosing o2o as a partner.” After a couple of tailor-made info sessions for the collaborators, o2o and Graphius also organised a test day in their Oostakker plant. o2o provided a varied range of some 20 test bicycles with which the collaborators could make a test drive on the company parking lot made free for that purpose.

Bicycle leasing for the Graphius collaborators

In the meantime, the Graphius bicycle fleet consists of 50% electrical bicycles. Speed pedelecs and racing bikes are very popular too. Drivers as well as designers, blue collar workers and members of the board joined in. “The group of bikers is quite varied at Graphius: not only people living nearby but also true “flandriens”. They are on the road a little bit longer,” adds Mrs De Vuyst with a smile. “Since the project’s kick-off we have noticed a change in mentality in our company. Quite some collaborators that were hesitant at the start, have now become real cycling enthusiasts. And each month the group is growing.”

Graphius, bicycle leasing and the future

In the near future new bicycle racks and a rearrangement of the company grounds are planned. “All these measures should contribute to making cycling even more attractive. I am convinced that the success of bicycle leasing will continue to grow amongst the Graphius collaborators,” concludes Ellen De Vuyst.

Read more testimonials on our o2o news page under the header success stories.