The MLL introduces an alternative to commercial business and governance models for shared mobility in Amsterdam, coined as “Mobility as a Commons” (MaaC). MaaC comprises a set of initiatives organised by communities in the form of cooperatives with the purpose of meeting the social mobility needs of the community members through shared mobility. The city sees great potential in MaaC. The result envisioned are more resilient cities where citizens are in charge of their own mobility, costs, data ownership, type of modality and platform used, and more affordable community-based mobility. These are very interesting incentives making people move more and use modes that are zero-emission and take up less space enhancing an inclusive and sustainable future.
In Amsterdam, mobility providers are interested in offering their services in the city centre or the more affluent districts. Most shared mobility users are (white) men aged between 18 and 30 earning close to double of the average Dutch salary. With the concept of MaaC, the city of Amsterdam wishes to make shared mobility more affordable and inclusive and offer an alternative to the current commercial offer/proposal. Research showed that 70% of the people who participated in de reisproef, a study where people were asked to hand in their car and received €500 budget to make use of the alternatives that are available for a duration of two months, did not think the current mobility system is a worthy alternative for the privately owned car. Thereforeits important to investigate worthy alternatives such as MaaC.
MLL Objectives – Ambition:
The MLL is structured around different MaaC initiatives (Sub-Labs) each with a different approach.
The several initiatives will offer different types of zero emission shared modes including (electric) cars and (cargo)bikes. The communities are free to choose for the distribution of the modes included on their MaaC fleets, given that the provisioned modes are accepted/permitted on the public roads and the city’s zero-emission zones. Biking will play a pivotal role in all MLL initiatives, due to the fringe character and increased bike usage in the Netherlands. To this end, the development of a purpose-built shared modular e-bike in the commons is foreseen.
Over the past few months, the primary focus has been on finalizing all the practicalities for the pilot, such as developing the application process for cooperative car-sharing permits with all internal stakeholders, designing the permit application form in compliance with GDPR regulations, and setting up and executing the communication strategy and campaign. In the upcoming weeks, they will commence a targeted social media advertising campaign.Besides paid and organic reach on social channels, the MLL will utilize newsletters, online publications, and publications in local and national newspapers. Additionally, they will engage residents offline through flyers at our district offices, local community centers, and city libraries.
The pilot program officially commenced in May, offering citizens the opportunity to participate by applying for a cooperative car-sharing permit at zero cost, which included a reserved parking spot.
The MLL of Amsterdam is pleased to announce the successful launch of the pilot and look forward to the positive impact that it is anticipating to have on sustainable and inclusive mobility in the city of Amsterdam.
For more information about the pilot and the MaaC concept see the project website: https://bit.ly/4ezcAB1
Or this explainer video: GA_deelvervoer_V06_ENG.mp4