Transparency, personal contact and customer focus

Birwa Tours is a leading coach company in Friesland known for quality, punctual service and flexibility. With its own fleet of ten coaches, ranging from minibuses to double-deckers, and a team of around 45 employees, the company provides both coach hire and complete travel arrangements.
Birwa Tours takes particular pride in the company's ability to flexibly meet customer requirements - and in the people who work for the company. This translates back to growth at a time when many coach companies are actually struggling.
Willem Beijaard, Managing Director of Birwa Tours, explains: "where other companies are shrinking, we are growing. We are a family business where people come first. Our drivers can make or break our business, and the positive relationship with our employees is an important factor behind our success, in addition to the fact that we really want to meet all customer requirements, from arranging overnight accommodation along the way to providing for a local guide."
Birwa Tours' rapid growth resulted in an increase in trips abroad, with all the complexities involved. Willem Beijaard: "When we started driving abroad more frequently, we were faced with the hassle of toll boxes and toll vignettes, different invoices and declarations for toll costs, and the red tape involved in reclaiming foreign VAT."
Looking for a solution, the company came into contact with DKV Mobility through Royal Dutch Transport (KNV), the umbrella organization for professional passenger transport. As a member of this organization, Birwa Tours benefits from benefits and discounts offered by KNV to its members, including discounts for DKV Mobility's solutions in fuel and charging cards and toll handling. Naturally, the company received other proposals in addition to DKV Mobility's, but DKV Mobility's proposal stood out because of its transparency around options, costs and arrangements regarding toll charges for different countries.
Ina Dissel, Account Manager at DKV Mobility, says: "we attach great importance to clear and transparent offers, so that future customers have a good understanding of the costs as well as how to manage the toll boxes via DKV Mobility's online portal, including functions such as switching boxes on and off and changing license plates." Willem Beijaard added: "another differentiating factor was that DKV Mobility took the trouble to visit us to get to know our company. As a family business, we value personal contact in our partnerships, so besides the price factor, this also played a role in our choice."
Using DKV Mobility solutions, Birwa Tours now has a comprehensive range of mobility services, including toll boxes and fuel cards. Willem Beijaard: "The DKV BOX EUROPE has proved to be an excellent solution as we frequently travel through different countries. Previously, we had to buy separate toll boxes or vignettes at each border crossing, which took a lot of time and effort. With the DKV Box Europe, we only need one toll box. This has not only reduced the administrative hassle, but also saves the drivers a lot of time on the road." In addition to the toll boxes, Birwa Tours also uses DKV Mobility fuel cards. These cards provide access to an extensive network of filling stations in Europe, allowing drivers to refuel efficiently during their journeys.
For Birwa Tours, the cooperation with DKV Mobility mainly means a simplification of administrative processes. Previously, for example, they had to collect separate declarations for fuel costs and toll handling in different countries.
Thanks to DKV Mobility, the company receives a convenient monthly invoice listing all costs. Willem Beijaard: "this has not only reduced administrative work, but also makes it easier to reclaim VAT. All this makes us more efficient, so everyone in our organization, from drivers to office staff, can mainly focus on providing high-quality travel experiences to our guests."