Shared mobility part of Dutch renovation project

In the Dutch city of Rijswijk, an innovative car sharing scheme – one of the first of its kind in the country - has recently been implemented in a newly converted residential complex made up of 62 apartments. The apartments are located in the site of an old building, which is in the final phase of its conversion.

As part of the scheme, Steenvlinder, the construction company responsible for the conversion, is letting future residents of the complex carry out do-it-yourself building and finishing work on their apartments. The goal is to keep the purchase price of the apartments low and also to allow future residents to design their living spaces according to their own tastes. The inclusion of shared cars in the complex is consistent with this vision.

Within the residential complex, called Metamorfose, the car-sharing company A2B is providing shared vans for residents to support their self-construction activities. As soon as the apartments have been completed, the vans will be gradually substituted by cars – which will be left in the apartment's parking bays - that can be used by residents in their daily activities. Cars will be available to residents any time via a special app. A2B is responsible for the provision, cleaning and maintenance of the cars for all of the apartments; the occupants of each apartment will be asked to pay a small fee to contribute to the maintenance of the scheme.

The scheme is financially supported by the Dutch Department of Infrastructure and Public Works, which is also implementing similar initiatives in other cities across the Netherlands, such as in Amsterdam, The Hague, Rotterdam, Utrecht, Amstelveen, Amersfoort and Apeldoorn.

The pros of this initiative are not only mobility-related, since the more efficient use of vehicles brings additional benefits, such as the reduction of pollutants and carbon emissions, energy savings,the conservation of space and a better management of land-use. 

Source: Story first published in August by Verkeersnet