According to a 2021 governmental report, around 20% of the working-age population in France has difficulty getting around due to a lack of transport options. As a result, as many as 28% of people entering the workforce opt out of employment or training.
On 23 March 2024, French car manufacturer Renault launched an initiative to provide solutions for people who live in ‘mobility deserts’ (areas characterised by limited accessibility).
The Cars to Work scheme gives new job starters the opportunity to lease a vehicle long term or with a buyback option, and only have to start paying it off once they pass the job’s probation period. People could choose from the Dacia range (a Romanian auto brand bought by Renault in 1999) or select a used cars through Renew, Renault Group’s global brand for secondhand cars.
The campaign is part of the brand’s wider Caremakers inclusive mobility programme, created in 2012, which offers inclusive schemes to assist low-income individuals in using or buying Renault cars to access employment.
The campaign involved the participation of the brand’s entire network of 50 dealerships across France offering vehicles, and over 300 garages providing affordable repair services.
For financing, the car brand partnered with local organisations specialising in microcredit for low-income people, including Adie, Caisse d'Epargne, Parcours Confiance and Créasol. Renault also worked with inclusive mobility platforms Roole and Le Club Mobilité.
Renault partnered with France Travail, the governmental agency that provides practical and financial aid to job seekers, to promote Cars to Work, with ads broadcast on TV and online.
The campaign was created by Publicis Conseil, Paris.
