Bicycles and social entrepreneurship in Belgium Strasbourg, 16 January 2014 Jan Vanhee, director FietsenWerk

FietsenWerk gathers, supports en energizes social bicycle entrepreneurship and develops pioneering bicycle products for and together with social entrepreneurs

Umbrella organisation of 17 social bicycle enterprises in Flanders and Brussels (non profit) – Management trademark ‘bicycle points’ and support – Exchange between members – New products – Contacts main stakeholders Activities: -45 bicycle points at railway stations -Bike repair workplaces -Company bikes: rent, maintenance and repair -Recycling bikes -Other activities, linked at sustainable mobility Main target groups: -Commuters (railway stations) -Employees -Students -Tourists FietsenWerk

FietsenWerk

FietsenWerk

Activities: 45 bicycle points at railway stations FietsenWerk

Period before bicycle pointsWith bicycle points

FietsenWerk

Public transport: Belgian railway company ‘NMBS’ Government Other: – Universities: student bicycles – Blue Mobility – Private bicycle enterprises – Public transport company ‘De Lijn’ – Associations in the field of sustainable mobility or social economy Stakeholders

Some results year 2008year 2013 Members1117 Bicycle points845 Employment (bicycle points)30250 Tidiness of bicycle parkings ↑ Stations with bicycle points: modal split of 21% cyclists (stations without bicycle points: 18%) Survey 2013: > 80% of the commuters are very satisfied with the presence of bicycle points

FietsenWerk – Member fee – Fee trademark ‘bicycle points’ – Projects Members – bicycle points: model of shared responsibility* – Employment and social economy: federal and Flemish government (43%) – Railway company: 16% – Local authority: 16% – Revenues: 13% – Other (Flemish department of mobility, tourism, innovation): 12% *Figures: 2011 Revenues

Revenues Employment Quality – uniformisation Private sector: collaboration? How? Barriers

Expansion of the model in Wallonie (region in Belgium) Bicycle points: grow and quality ↑ Development new ideas, for instance: – Company bicycles – Bicycles for secundary schools (trips) – … Near future

– Cooperation with authorities – Broad variety of activities – Objectives of ‘sustainable mobility’ and ‘employment’ – Umbrella organisation Key factors for success in other countries

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