The new shared electric BMW i3. Photo Roelof Kleis The cars had already been spotted on the campus, but the official start of a new rental system was yesterday. WUR employees are now able to travel to their commitments elsewhere in the country using an electricity-powered BMW i3, if they want to travel by car. The cars belong to shared vehicle business Amber, the service is provided by Mobility Mixx.
‘We aim to give sustainable transport for employees, students and the surroundings an extra push by stimulating transport by e-vehicle, bicycle and public transport’, says Annet de Haas, head of Location Facilities of WUR’s Facilities and Services. ‘We aim to discourage travel by plane or private car, especially those powered by fossil fuels.’
The wheels
With Mobility Mixx, WUR no longer has its own fleet of cars. Shared vehicles are more sustainable and convenient, says De Haas. Shared vehicles require no maintenance, and you only pay for the trips. Moreover, the administration is a lot easier, as this is handled by Mobility Mixx.
‘We are the intermediary’, says Mobility Mixx director Harald Ernst. You could consider us the platform that manages the suppliers. We don’t own the wheels.’ The “wheels” are supplied by Amber for personnel vehicles and Europcar for vans. In the fall, public transport is to be added as an option for business travel.
The use of shared vehicles is not mandatory. Private car use remains permitted. ‘But we do hope everyone will use the shared vehicles’, De Haas states.
Bicycle
In addition to the shared vehicles, shared bicycles will also become available on the campus. ‘Around the summer, there will be eleven hubs on campus for shared bicycles’, De Haas explains. ‘These bicycles are intended for transport on and around the campus and in Wageningen. On campus, the bicycles need not be returned to the hub from which they were picked up.’ The latter also applies to rental cars. These may also be returned to a (different) hub.
PRACTICAL INFORMATION:
To book a car, you need a Mobility Mixx account. You can register using your WUR email address. More information is provided on the WUR intranet. In the future, WUR aims to make the shared vehicles available to students and surrounding residents. Organisations in the area wanting to join this shared transportation concept will find more information here (links to Dutch content).