On Wednesday June 19th Deputy Mayor of Amsterdam, Sharon Dijksma (Traffic and Infrastructure) launched the new eHUBS project during the WeMakeTheCity festival. The aim of this program is to create space in the city and to improve the quality of life by making smart use of (shared) mobility.
Deputy Mayor Dijksma: “On average, a car in Amsterdam stands idle for 23 hours a day. The public space that these cars occupy can be put to much better use. That is why we have to switch from ‘ownership’ to ‘use’. Smart use of transport can make urban mobility a lot cleaner and more efficient. At the same time, more public space is being created on the street for pedestrians, cyclists and green spaces".
By offering Amsterdam residents affordable and handy alternatives, it will become possible for all Amsterdam residents to travel in a cleaner and smarter way. eHUBS will be a great example of this.
The goal is to create 15 to 20 eHUB locations in the city in the next three years, where different forms of electrical sharing mobility are offered together to residents: such as bike, scooter and car sharing.
Last Summer the Amsterdam City Council conducted various travel pilots, helping employees, residents and public professionals (including teachers, nurses, childcare workers) to travel in a cleaner and smarter way with e-bikes. The results of the pilot are being used to create new policy regarding (shared)e- mobility.
Another pilot involved Amsterdam residents, handing in their car for two months. in exchange for travel credit which could be used for public transport, bike and car sharing and taxis. After the pilot, about 30% of the participants chose to permanently discard of their car. Amsterdam City Council, together with the Behaviour Science department of the University of Applied Sciences of Amsterdam is planning to use these insights and knowledge to get people out of their privately owned cars and into shared mobility made available through eHUBS.