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VM Interview Company Bike: "Promoting active mobility is crucial for more sustainability"

The CSO of the company bike pioneer Fabian Kral on the potential of bicycles as a means of traffic transformation and an alternative to company cars, the door opener "job bike leasing," why brick-and-mortar retail remains an important partner, and why the mobility budget in Germany is still not fully developed.

Gets things moving: A service van performs maintenance and repairs directly at the customer's location. | Photo: Company Bike/Sina Scherer
Gets things moving: A service van performs maintenance and repairs directly at the customer's location. | Photo: Company Bike/Sina Scherer
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Johannes Reichel

VM: Company bike leasing is booming, but the competition is also growing: How can Company Bike differentiate itself as one of the pioneers, what is its unique selling point?

Fabian Kral, Company Bike: Our unique selling point is the hybrid business model: Primarily, we are a bicycle leasing provider in the market, and we have been successful in this for over 12 years. With our innovative company bike program, we mainly target large companies with over 500 employees. The program operates with fully digitized processes, personal key account management for the HR departments and fleet managers of the companies. Additionally, we create a Company Bike online portal branded in the client's corporate identity to make the entire process as efficient as possible for the HR department and employees. Furthermore, the focus is especially on the employees of the companies.

We offer an immensely large selection of 6,000 stationary bicycle dealers in Germany or a direct supply through Company Bike with over 55 different brands and a personal bike handover by the mobile bike service of the fully assembled and ready-to-ride e-bike or bicycle at the employee's desired location, including personal instruction. This is unique in the market.

VM: What role does the service play, which Company Bike has recently emphasized, for example with a mobile workshop?

FK: Service is always a top priority at Company Bike. The be-all and end-all of our business is called customer centricity. The customer and the service around the bike are always the focus, and our experts are absolutely crucial in this. It's about providing professional, individual advice with a lot of attention to detail. Our teams are passionate cyclists and speak not only from experience but also from a love of the product. From day one of the collaboration, our customers are assigned a personal key account manager who takes care of all concerns of the HR department or fleet management. The focus is on maximizing effort reduction for the employer.

Our mobile bike service is something that makes us stand out among the competitors. Our trained two-wheeler mechanics and mechatronics technicians come with a fully equipped mobile workshop directly to the employees' homes to perform inspections, repairs, and maintenance.

Many people know how annoying it can be to load the e-bike into the car or onto the bike rack for transport to the stationary dealer. Typically, repairs are carried out directly on site. The consulting service, especially regarding the instruction, is also something we are very proud of. Our trained two-wheeler mechanics and mechatronics technicians are on hand with advice and assistance for all questions. Especially when we organize service or mobility days directly at the client's site, it is simply nice to see how long-term or newly connected clients appreciate our mobile bike service and the trust they place in the expert knowledge of our professionals.

VM: How do you collaborate with the dealers – and are there preferred brands?

FK: We primarily see the stationary specialist trade as a partner to offer as many people as possible a bike leasing option. In Germany, around 5 million bicycles are sold annually. The market is therefore large and offers a corresponding variety of different sourcing options for e-bikes and bicycles. We want to let the end customer decide through whom, specifically through which channel, they obtain the bike.

Our portal is stocked with over 55 different brands. Here everyone finds the appropriate model for their particular use case. Moreover, all categories – e-bike / bicycle, city, trekking, MTB, road bike, gravel, cargo bike, etc. – are covered.

VM: What potential do you see for company bike leasing in the transition to sustainable transportation, can it act as a "door opener" for more bike mobility in general?

FK: Promoting active mobility like cycling plays a decisive role in sustainable mobility strategies.

From our perspective, company bike leasing can contribute significantly to making cities car-free in the long term, as it promotes health and contributes to active environmental engagement.

The bicycle and e-bike market now offers such a large selection that there is the perfect dream bike for every individual need. We reflect this variety in our Company Bike Portal, and the fact that high-quality (e-)bikes can be used at an attractive price and then purchased at an extremely favorable residual value plays a crucial role in opting for company bike leasing. In this way, we support large companies and their employees in making an individual contribution to reducing traffic congestion, air pollution, and greenhouse gas emissions.

VM: One often hears that the company car is losing importance – but recently it seems the trend is reversing among the younger generation. What is your impression?

The company car is a respected means of mobility in Germany. However, this is contrasted by a growing commitment to sustainability and a contemporary corporate image where environmental engagement plays a critical role. In a fiercely competitive market characterized by a shortage of skilled workers, companies are increasingly required to actively meet their responsibility for a livable future.

Keyword "mobility budget" – a concept that is not yet fully developed in Germany but, in our view, has potential and primarily offers employees one thing: the flexible use of sustainable mobility means, including the bicycle.

VM: What else is needed for bicycles to be used as a commuting means in daily life and not just for leisure, keyword bike infrastructure?

To reduce CO2 emissions, a shift in transportation is essential. Most people in our country agree on this.

Particularly, the use of bicycles as a commuting means holds great potential to bring about a positive change in the long term. The bike infrastructure in Germany definitely needs to be improved. A functioning bike infrastructure—especially in vibrant large cities—is certainly an argument to switch to the means of bicycle.

In many cities, bike lanes are very narrow, not well-marked, or simply nonexistent, making cyclists often feel unsafe in traffic. Bicycle traffic in Germany is steadily increasing, but so is car traffic. It is important to create an infrastructure in which the interests of all road users are fairly taken into account.

VM: Pedelecs open up a significantly larger radius, but the 25 km/h limit can impede long-distance commuters. Are there any efforts or possibilities from the industry's side, such as an adjustment to 30 km/h?

Through the Zukunft Fahrrad association, we are networked with many stakeholders from the bicycle industry to further establish the e-bike and bicycle as sustainable means of transportation. Among other things, we advocate for the incorporation of bicycle leasing into the Income Tax Act. We currently have no information about an adjustment of the 25 km/h limit. For extended long-distance bike paths, it might make sense. In the city and in tight, hazardous situations, even 25 km/h can be too fast.

VM: What happens to the bikes after the end of the leasing period and what is their condition?

Typically, users purchase the bicycle at the end of the leasing period at a very favorable residual value. This is what makes our attractive overall package. Additionally, the bicycle can be returned free of charge, and we will pick it up directly from the employee, regardless of whether the bicycle was obtained through the dealer or the Company Bike Portal. Here too, sustainability and circular economy are our focus.

A few years ago, we launched the Green Bicycle Club app. Initially, the focus was on selling attractive used bikes. Today, the app has developed into a community platform.

Through the Green Bicycle Club, our corporate customers can promote challenges for collective cycling among employees. The cycled kilometers can be converted into bike points and redeemed for exciting rewards or additional discounts on follow-up leasing contracts. Thus, we motivate everyone to cycle.

VM: What role do appearances at trade fairs like Eurobike play in reaching companies from your perspective?

Central, industry-relevant platforms and trade fairs are, from our point of view, a decisive factor when it comes to jointly shaping the goal of a sustainable mobility transition. The content program surrounding the events provides the perfect basis to jointly consider new developments, make comparisons, and exchange experiences and opinions.

Trade fair appearances mainly mean networking, through which one gains very individual insights into different mobility patterns and success strategies. Every company operates differently and has a unique history and corporate culture, especially in the areas of corporate health and corporate mobility.

Personal exchange is precisely the right way to understand the wishes and needs of companies in this case. And since one of our unique selling points is customizability, and we are thus able to create a highly flexible and individually adaptable system structure tailored specifically to the needs of the respective companies, the exchange within the industry environment is often the direct starting point of a joint and successful customer journey. Aside from that, at Company Bike we place the utmost importance on always staying up to date with trends and developments in the industry. Only in this way can we also professionally advise our customers accordingly.

VM: What are the next steps at Company Bike, what is planned next?

We are currently working out some exciting partnerships. On one hand, the topic of mobility budgets is very important to us. We are in contact with renowned partners here. Furthermore, we are in exchange with several premium bicycle manufacturers and direct-to-consumer brands. Here we will expand our portal and take over last-mile delivery for our customers. The bicycle will come fully assembled to the employee, and beyond that, we also handle warranty, guaranty, and service cases with our mobile bike service.

Translated automatically from German.
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