There are many ways to encourage people to use cycling as an alternative mode of transport. Sometimes, cycling to the port can seem like a major challenge. However, cycling offers a whole range of benefits: 

• Time: You avoid the traffic jams, so you can better plan your journey times.

• Health: Cycling to work is great exercise. An e-bike can help you cover longer distances.

• Money: You don’t have to pay for petrol. Cycling every day may even make a car less necessary, potentially saving you a fortune in insurance premiums and maintenance costs.

• Less stress: No traffic jams or parking problems.

Public transport is a cheap, safe and sustainable way to get to work. A variety of buses operated by De Lijn serve the Port of Antwerp and the surrounding communities, and the preliminary stage of your journey can be completed by tram or train. Once you arrive in the port area, you can take the bus or go by bike.

In contrast to public transport, collective transport is not operated by a public body. In the Port of Antwerp, there has been a significant expansion of collective transport, such as the shuttle bus or I-bus. 10% of the port employees use collective transport every day. The timetable is coordinated to fit the working hours of the affiliated companies, making it ideal for employees who can’t use public transport. A variety of bodies in the Port of Antwerp organise collective transport.

The Port of Antwerp’s Carpool Platform enables employees of affiliated companies to easily find people to share a car with. Antwerp Port Authority continues to promote this initiative in order to boost sustainable mobility to and from the companies in the port. 

Carpooling offers the following benefits:

• Money: Sharing your car saves cash as you can share the costs, take turns driving or asking passengers to chip in. It also offers tax benefits: if your employer officially recognises a carpooling scheme, then all reimbursement of commuter-transport expenses is tax exempt. If you take the car by yourself, only the first €31.70 per month is tax exempt.

• Insurance: Carpooling also means your passengers are covered by occupational-accident insurance (even if you take a diversion) and civil-liability insurance.

• Sustainability: Having fewer cars on the road is better for the environment as less petrol is used and CO2 emissions are significantly reduced.

• Social: Carpooling is fun and promotes social interaction. You can also talk to fellow port employees about your day, helping you to put work completely out of your head once you get home. Carpooling also promotes punctuality and often means you get better parking spaces.

Anywhere/anytime working means that you can do your job anywhere at any time. It not only enables a better balance and boosts productivity, but also helps to reduce traffic congestion.

In order to work towards its sustainability objective, the Antwerp Port Authority is implementing TLIW (Time/location independant working) at their main office space, Antwerp Port House. Antwerp Port Authority is convinced that this alternative method will help alleviate traffic congestion in and around the Port of Antwerp.

What is TLIW?

• Mobile or anywhere/anytime working includes both telework and flexitime.

• Teleworking means to work from any location, i.e. at the office in the port area, at a co-working spot, on the train, from home etc.

• Flexitime means the employees work flexible hours and are not necessarily required to start work at a fixed time every day. 

• Flexitime enables you to decide for yourself when and where you will work, within agreed limits. This means you are not obliged to work fixed hours and can avoid the rush hours when travelling to and from work.

• In this way, mobile working helps to smooth out commuter traffic throughout the day, which helps to reduce traffic congestion and environmental damage. 

Antwerp Port Authority strives to realise sustainable water transport by establishing ferry services whenever possible and working on permanent alternative transport. The Water Bus reflects its commitment to water mobility.

The first Water Bus line is now daily on the river Scheldt. The Water Bus will focus on commuter transport, although tourists are also permitted to use it. To further promote sustainable mobility, bikes are permitted on board the Water Bus. 

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