Mobility plan & creation of new services

The inter-company mobility plan for the industrial zone of Plan-les-Ouates (ZIPLO) is often cited as an example, both in Switzerland’s Romande region and in neighboring France, on account of its dynamism, the engagement of businesses, and the results obtained. If this mobility plan works well, it is thanks to the mobility services offered, which take account of the mobility constraints.

Context of the mobility plan

The industrial zone of Plan-les-Ouates contains almost 500 businesses, and over 10,000 employees. Its location makes it easy to access by car. Indeed, the commune is right beside the motorway bypass, between 2 major axis leading to Geneva’s city-center.

The zone has been actively growing since the 2000s, and does not stop densifying itself. At present, new buildings with vast lettable areas are springing up at numerous construction sites, so much so that when they are finished, the zone should have 15,000 employees by the time its development is complete in 2021-2022.

“Today, more than 65% of the employees are cross-border workers and 10% come from the Canton of Vaud.”

The area’s accessibility, along with the economic dynamic in the region, became significantly worse over the years due to the traffic at the customs office in Bardonnex and on the motorway, but also in the city-center. This situation, combined with the over-saturation of parking spaces and traffic in the zone, led the stakeholders (commune of Plan-les-Ouates, Association of businesses of the ZIPLO, canton of Geneva, Foundation for Industrial Sites) to launch mobility studies in 2008, and a mobility plan for the zone in 2011.

Creation of new services

Following the recommendations set out in the mobility plan, a mobility hub (Centrale mobilité) was created in the first instance. A veritable skills center for mobility, this body is tasked with providing information, advice and support to employees and businesses in the zone, as they introduce changes and move towards a more sustainable mobility. 3 employees work in shifts from 7am to 7pm from Monday to Friday at the Centrale mobilité.

Furthermore, other complementary services were developed to meet different needs:

• a networking service for car-sharers;
• a fleet of self-managed shuttle-buses serving the Canton of Vaud and neighboring France,
• a fleet of electric bikes;
• the ordering of subscriptions for public transport;
• customized advice for employees and businesses.

In addition to these services, the Centrale mobilité keeps employees regularly informed via paper and digital means of communication. It also conducts communication campaigns, with events on the ground, twice a year. These campaigns make it possible for employees to try out new modes of transport for free in a playful and convivial context.

To strengthen this set of solutions, the commune of Plan-les-Ouates also tasked the Centrale mobilité with managing the 2 communal car parks in the zone. These are now accessible with a monthly subscription to all employees, based on sustainable mobility criteria (accessibility on public transport and efficiency of these, reduced mobility, car-sharers, etc.). The spaces are all re-assigned every year. The Centrale mobilité uses the fairpark software to manage these car parks and allocate parking spaces.

The results of the ZIPLO mobility plan

The results of the mobility plan are significant. Here are a few stats that illustrate how successful the plan has been:

• 35 companies representing more than 70% of the employees are involved in the mobility plan;
• car park occupancy rates are optimized, with more than 270 parking subscriptions provided in the zone;
• 15 self-managed shuttle-buses deployed in the context of the mobility plan are used on a daily basis;
• a stable share of public transport, at 8%, with an equal offer but a rapidly-growing “population” (from 6500 employees in 2010 to 11,000 in 2018);
• a doubling of the frequency of buses serving the zone, at peak times;
• an increase in the rate of car-sharing to 20% (average of 13% in 2008).

For all these reasons, the mobility plan for ZIPLO is regularly cited as the benchmark for joint mobility plans.

For more information, visit the website dedicated to the mobility plan.