The municipality wants to significantly increase the number of shared scooters in the city. At the moment there are 770 shared scooters driving around the city, but that should soon be 1,200. According to the municipality, the expansion is necessary to achieve a better distribution of shared scooters across the city. The plans are being discussed by the city council today and not everyone is convinced.
According to responsible alderman Melanie van der Horst, the shared scooter is used by many people as a replacement for a short car ride. “In addition, we see that the use of a shared scooter is common for many young people. They grow up with shared transport and the chance is therefore greater that they will not purchase a private vehicle themselves, but will use shared cars.”
GroenLinks council member Elisabeth IJmker is not convinced: “The promise of the shared scooter is that it would replace the car, but what we see in Amsterdam is that it replaces the bicycle and public transport and it also has a significant impact on our public space.”
Better spread
According to Van der Horst, an increase in the number of shared scooters is necessary so that there is a better spread in areas such as Nieuw-West, Zuidoost and Noord. “Large city districts where larger distances can be bridged with such a shared scooter,” said VVD council member Stijn Nijssen, who is in favor of the expansion.
Still, IJmker doubts whether there will be more shared scooters in those parts of the city. “For example, we cannot ask the provider: place a minimum number in Zuidoost.” She also believes that the shared scooters have a ‘considerable impact’ on the public space in the city. but according to Van der Horst ‘it saves a lot of space’ if not everyone has their own means of transport.
Further it’s no secret that shared scooters are not always parked neatly, is also apparent AT5 takes a look at Central Station, Nijssen: “Fortunately, all kinds of conditions are now also being set and that also includes three warnings and blocking your account, handing out fines.”
He also thinks that people who with alcohol on a shared scooterneed to be addressed: “Then you really are an unprecedented loser”
Response Check:
“The new plans of the municipality of Amsterdam for shared mobility are an excellent step in the right direction as far as Check is concerned. With this policy, the preconditions for public transport are further tightened and properly recorded. We are working intensively with the municipality to bring about a mobility transition: away from car ownership, and towards the use of more efficient forms of mobility.
We are pleased to see that the growth of the maximum number of shared scooters has been discussed. The growth of the maximum number of shared scooters from 1,200 (maximum of 600 per provider), with a further possibility of growth to 1,500 shared scooters, is in our opinion largely in line with the ambitions for shared transport set by the municipality.
We are also pleased with the municipality’s ambitions to further develop partial transport in the city. An important part of the plans is the ambition for a wider urban coverage of the service area for shared scooters; namely to the districts of Nieuw-West, Zuidoost and Noord, and Weesp. This is in line with the growth opportunities we see in Amsterdam.”
Check emphasizes that despite more shared scooters, the average walking distance to the shared scooters remains high, especially if the service area is expanded.
Response Felyx:
“We are very positive about the possibility of being able to offer more shared scooters. A larger number of shared scooters in Amsterdam will enable us, in addition to better coverage and increased reliability in the city, to be able to reach the outskirts of the city and municipalities around Amsterdam. open up and thus make it more accessible.
We will limit the degree of nuisance by means of agreed parking restrictions in the centre, parking control by means of an end-of-ride photo, fines for parking incorrectly, active relocation of inactive mopeds, dynamic discounts on potentially longer standing mopeds and good contact with enforcement/other providers.
Currently, a shared scooter in Amsterdam is used 5 to 7 times a day. As a result, nuisance rarely occurs, and when it does occur, it is usually short-lived. Only 1 in 510 (<0.2%) journeys results in a nuisance-related report, which - if the next user does not move it first - is resolved within a few hours."