South West Flanders Buzzing with Shared Mobility

Rebecca

3 years ago

By: Jakob Vermandere (text) and Tom Kesteloot (English translation)

Put a fox in your tank

Leiedal teams up with FOX Share, Autodelen.net and the Flemish government to offer locals an alternative and sustainable way of daily transport. The cars are supplied by Devos car dealers (de vos meaning fox), a shared mobility app unlocking not only the 17 cars here, but giving users access to a network of about 70 cars to share throughout Flanders. Particularly user-friendly, the system charges no entrance or subscription fees. Users only pay what they use, under the motto: “Fox Share. Not cunning. Just clever.”

It is by no means a coincidence that this region should go all in for all electric. By signing the Covenant of Mayors in 2019, all 13 councils already committed to a 40% reduction of their carbon emission by 2030. As more than 35 % of all regional carbon emissions are due to traffic, this is another step in the right direction. But carsharing is not all about carbon. A shared car replaces five to ten private cars in Flanders. Fewer cars on the road make for fluent commuting and easier parking, and a shared car is cheaper to run as the costs as well are shared. All in all, a sustainable, flexible and cheap alternative for private car ownership.

Lining up in the right current

To spark the campaign, the five municipalities are going head to head in a hypermiling contest to determine who has the most ‘frugal foot of Flanders’. Five Stig-like candidates must complete a run on neutral grounds as fast but as economically as possible, driving one of the 17 battery-powered hot hatches. See the engaging trailer here. This way, the region is putting the pedal to the metal en route to (shared) mobility that moves.