France: Carpooling for Healthcare Workers
The Challenge
Hospitals, often located in urban areas, face problems with shifting hours, stressed staff and limited parking places. Many people have no choice but to drive to work, which is expensive for European households: on average €6,000 per year. All of this adds financial burdens for health care workers who do not necessarily always earn high salaries. For example, nurses earn a median salary of €31,493 in gross purchasing power parity (PPP) according to European Datalab in 2018. In addition, public transport may not be sufficient for hospital employees, especially when working late shifts or when their homes are far away. The aim is to provide a more flexible and reliable transport solution that meets the unique needs of hospital carers, particularly those who commute from remote locations. This is where carpooling makes sense. This solution should alleviate the financial and ecological constraints of car ownership while ensuring accessibility for all employees. By offering a cost-effective and convenient alternative, we aim to improve the well-being and work-life balance of hospital staff. This will enhance their ability to provide high quality care. By recognising the transport problems faced by healthcare staff and developing tailored solutions, we can create a supportive environment that benefits both employees and patients.
The Solution
Carpooling with Karos Mobility presents an innovative solution to address the transportation needs and challenges faced by hospital employees. Indeed by carpooling, significant savings can be achieved, with an average of €97 per person per month. Some frequent users have even managed to save over €10k by regularly using our apps. Carpooling offers a more flexible and reliable transportation option, as only one driver is needed and becomes an effective solution during strikes, which is indeed why APHP implemented Karos solution in 2019. When two employees carpool together, it means one less car on the roads and in parking lots, resulting in reduced congestion and parking saturation. Therefore carpooling also contributes to a reduction in pollution by optimizing the number of cars in circulation. Through Karos Mobility, we have already saved over 13,600 tons of CO2 emissions, equivalent to over 7,770 round trips between Paris and New York. In addition to these practical benefits, carpooling fosters social interactions. It provides an opportunity to meet colleagues and individuals from diverse professional backgrounds, promoting team building and creating enjoyable moments through shared music and conversations. Finally, Carpooling with Karos Mobility offers a reliable and advantageous solution, delivering financial savings, reduced congestion, decreased pollution, and opportunities for enriching social encounters.
Making an impact
Over 50 hospitals have chosen Karos Mobility's solution, demonstrating its significant impact in the healthcare sector. Here are some examples of the observed benefits:
Assistance Publique-Hôpitaux de Paris (APHP), with its 38 hospitals in Île-de-France, has 9,560 registered users on the Karos Mobility apps since November 2019. They have completed 163,000 certified carpool trips, avoiding the emission of 193 tons of CO2. Moreover, through carpooling, €475,000 has been redistributed to employees, improving their purchasing power.
The Cholet Hospital Center in France, with 2,500 employees, has been a client of Karos Mobility since April 2022. They have already completed 7,800 carpool trips, with 91% of these trips being shared between colleagues. This has resulted in avoiding over 20 tons of CO2 emissions and redistributing €50,000 to employees.
The University Hospital Bonn in Germany has 309 users and has completed 2,200 certified carpool trips since August 2022, avoiding the emission of 7 tons of CO2 equivalent. Furthermore, 45% of carpoolers have completed more than 6 carpool trips last month, showcasing the ongoing commitment to carpooling.
These examples highlight the significant impact of carpooling for hospitals, as well as for other clients of Karos Mobility. We firmly believe that this solution can make a real difference for healthcare professionals and contribute to the well-being of hospitals.
Lessons learnt
In the realm of sustainable mobility solutions for hospitals, personalized support plays a pivotal role in understanding the unique challenges they face. Working with hospitals requires a tailored approach that goes beyond the standard business model. At Karos Mobility, we have implemented various actions, including on-site promotion, awareness campaigns, and effective communication strategies, to comprehensively support and guide hospitals in their sustainable transportation.
Our matching algorithm, powered by AI and machine learning, ensures high-quality matches by learning from user habits and preferences. This not only creates a large pool of reliable carpooling options but also integrates public transportation networks into our matching tool, enhancing convenience and accessibility.
Additionally, our solution offers hospitals a specialized tool that allows them to monitor their Corporate Social Responsibility performance in real-time. It also provides the flexibility to partially or fully cover transportation expenses for their employees, further incentivizing sustainable commuting choices.
By combining ultra-personalized consultancy, advanced matching capabilities, and tailored tools, Karos Mobility empowers hospitals to navigate the complexities of sustainable mobility effectively. Our approach fosters engagement, enhances the quality of matches, and enables hospitals to track their sustainability progress while supporting their workforce's transportation needs.