Company car users in Brussels to also get train pass or bicycle

To tackle the problem of traffic congestion in the capital, the Brussels-Capital Region has come up with a mobility plan that requires employers to also offer a bicycle or train pass to company car users, writes De Morgen. With this measure, the Brussels government aims to make company cars more expensive for the employer, and to give employees an alternative to the car.

About 200,000 cars drive into the capital every day. The Brussels government's plan aims to reduce this number. Companies will be obliged to offer a SNCB rail pass or Villo bicycle subscription to their employees with a company car.

While the measure does not directly reduce the number of company cars on Brussels' roads, it should work to make both employers and employees think twice before using them.

The initiative comes from environment minister Céline Fremault with the support of her colleague, mobility minister Pascal Smet. The measure, which will take effect from 2018, applies to some 38,000 people working in the Brussels region.