Amsterdam, May 16, 2022 – There are many cars in the Netherlands. According to a report by the Knowledge Institute for Mobility Policy (KiM), nowhere in Europe, except for the island of Malta, you can find so many cars per square kilometer as in the Netherlands. Research* shows that a private car is parked for an average of 23 hours a day and costs about 250 to 450 euros per month. And then you haven’t driven a meter yet. Waste of money and of the scarce space in the city. SHARE NOW, the European market leader in flexible car-sharing, provides a car for everyone by making car-sharing available, accessible, and affordable.
Top 5 considerations for switching to (electric) shared cars
Car-sharing in the capital is becoming increasingly popular. The number of SHARE NOW users already increased by 10,000 to 104,000 customers in 2021 and currently has 121,000 users in Amsterdam: an increase of 16 % in four months. Recent research** by SHARE NOW even shows that in the Netherlands 15 % are considering getting rid of their own car and switching to an (electric) shared car within the next ten years. In three major cities (Amsterdam, Rotterdam and The Hague), of which SHARE NOW actively offers shared cars in the first two, this percentage is 20 % higher than the national average.
The top 5 reasons*** to consider getting rid of the car:
Sustainable future by sharing more and owning less
Two out of five Dutch (42 %) believe that in general the use of (electric) car-sharing is the future, not only because of the space requirements but also because of the climate. Certainly 48 % think that car-sharing has a positive effect on the environment, namely less emissions and less traffic. Especially young people aged 18-24 see the positive impact of car-sharing on the environment (75 %), compared to respondents aged 55 or older (42 %).
Car-sharing popular for longer trips
"By sharing a car instead of owning one, you don't have to worry about things like insurance and refueling: everything is included in the rental price. In times like these, with the increased fuel prices, car-sharing can be a solution for many people who live in the city", says Robert Bosman, Managing Director at SHARE NOW Netherlands. "It is great to see that more and more residents of Amsterdam are using the electric shared cars for trips not only within, but also for trips outside the city. In April there was an increase in trips of 71 % compared to the same month last year. The distance also increased by 79 % and the duration by 95 % compared to April 2021. The use of shared cars for only short trips downtown is a thing of the past."
*Survey conducted by CHOICE Insight + Strategy on behalf of the Municipality of Amsterdam, the Netherlands.
**Survey conducted in collaboration with Multiscope, 1,013 respondents, December 2021.
***The respondents have indicated a top six, which means that the sum of the percentages is higher than 100 percent.