Lonza employees get a bonus for not owning a car

Since 2019, pharmaceutical company Lonza’s headcount has doubled at Visp VS. This causes space problems: many of the 4,500 employees commute by car, causing traffic jams in the morning.

This is not only an inconvenience for the residents of Valais in the area, but also for the Lonza employees themselves, as there is a shortage of parking spaces in the buildings of the pharmaceutical giant.

The group is aware of these problems. On Tuesday evening, he presented various proposed solutions, according to what was reported by the Walliser Boat newspaper. Instead of expanding parking options, Lonza plans to reduce car traffic.

The two-year pilot project aims to motivate employees to give up their cars. Anyone who travels by public transport or bicycle receives a mobility bonus.

“Depending on how far employees live, the bonus can range from a few hundred to a few thousand francs a year.” Site manager Renzo Cicellini explains this to “Waliser Bote”.

The canton and its surrounding communities are also participating: in order to provide greater mobility, the public transport offer is being expanded to include 13 additional bus lines.

Anyone coming by car in the future will have to pay a daily parking fee of three francs. According to an internal statement, Lonza plans to charge these fees on a daily basis for more flexibility compared to a fixed monthly fee. Income from parking fees is invested in promoting new modes of transportation. Cicellini expects between 200,000 and 300,000 francs a year.

Lonza expects costs for the entire project to be in the “single digits, mid-million” range. These costs are borne by the canton of Lonza and the municipalities of Visp and Natres.