The recent strikes by the Dutch Railways have resulted in a less mobile Netherlands. However, many Dutch people have to be able to travel for work, study and other reasons and the strikes in public transport prevent people from traveling to their destination. The restrictions in public transport are reminiscent of the beginning of 2022, when extreme weather conditions meant that hardly any trains could run. Just like now, it was clear then that travelers were looking for an alternative to public transport. Car sharing took off then and is doing so again now.
This increase in the use of shared cars is also apparent from the figures of MyWheels and Amber, two leaders in the Dutch shared car market. MyWheels already saw an increase of more than 20% in the number of rides last week compared to a week earlier. Last Friday, at the time of the strike in South Holland, the number of kilometers driven with MyWheels cars had increased by 48%. The number of bookings also increased enormously. On Monday 29 August, at the time of the strikes in North Holland, this number rose by 50%.
Corporate car-sharing provider Amber, which recently merged with MyWheels, also submits figures that clearly show that car sharing has increased as a result of the strikes. Last week, 26% more kilometers were driven in Amber vehicle journeys than the week before. It is striking that the number of business kilometers in particular rose, by no less than 62%.
“When the trains, for whatever reason, do not run or run less, we see an immediate increase in demand for shared cars. We saw this at the beginning of the year when the trains could not run due to the harsh weather conditions, and we are seeing this again. That's why we informed our users last week about the strikes and how best to use a shared car for their journey. We have also pre-sorted for many new registrations. In this way we try to keep the Netherlands as mobile as possible during the strikes.”
About Amber
Amber is a fast-growing player in the corporate car-sharing market (+53% turnover in 2021). The organization offers a unique B2B proposition including 'valid service'. Amber focuses on the use of smart technology: optimal use of the fleet by flawlessly predicting on the basis of data and with AI where business car use is needed and facilitating this and realizing as little downtime as possible.
About MyWheels
MyWheels is the market leader in the Netherlands in the field of private car sharing and has more than 240.000 users who use its 2.500 cars. MyWheels therefore has the largest range of (electric) shared cars in the Netherlands, most of which are closely monitored by so-called key figures. MyWheels amplifies growth through a community driven approach. Every MyWheels car comes with a loyal MyWheels user who acts as an ambassador for the neighborhood. Together with the community, the organization is inspiring more and more people to switch from ownership to use.
