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Taxistop gets a new name!
Since 1975, Taxistop has developed accessible solutions to roll out shared mobility in Belgium (such as Carpool, MobiCalendar, Minder Mobielen Centrales / Mobitwin). After 45 years of carrying the name of the popular service from its early years, it is now time to prepare for the future and to continue as Mpact. The new name underlines the ‘pact’ that the organisation makes with partners, policy-makers and the general public to achieve sustainable mobility. After all, together we have the biggest impact!
To Mpact, shared mobility has always been a matter of cooperation. For years now, the strength of the organisation results from its network of partners, with whom it develops services and projects. Examples of such cooperative adventures are the carsharing organisation cambio, the research bureau Traject and the sharing platform Cozywheels. But the mobihub project and Olympus Mobility, the first MaaS platform in Belgium, are also noteworthy. With its (inter)national partners, Mpact organises the event Shared Mobility Rocks, the annual conference that sheds light on the innovations within shared mobility.
Mpact also develops solutions for specific challenges on its own power. The Mpact team works daily on an efficient mobility that is accessible for all:
The goal of Mpact is to enable shared mobility, and connect it right away with walking, biking and public transport. But houses can also be shared. Angelo Meuleman, project director at Mpact: “Our principle is “do more with less”, with ‘more’ referring to energy efficiency, inclusion, social cohesion… and ‘less’ referring to traffic jams, pollution, cost, etc. But it does not only revolve around liveability, accessibility and climate. For the users, our services can also just be about having fun. Rides are more fun when carpooling, and by using MobiCalendar, a cyclist does not only receive a cycling allowance, he also gets a chance to enjoy more time outdoors. Our house swappers do not want to change the world, they just spend a cheap holiday at someone else’s house. Apart from saving the costs of a hotel room, they also create new friendships.”
“The social aspect is therefore as important as the ecological one. Because of the current covid situation, we are more than ever aware of what loneliness and isolation means. That is why we are very grateful to our 3.000 volunteer drivers of the Less Mobile Services who commit themselves to helping elderly people, and thankfully not only during the corona crisis.”
Mpact means sharing, efficiency, innovation, and a positive impact. But also inclusion. All the solutions being developed must serve as many people as possible, regardless of age, gender or background.
To be future-proof, Mpact engages young people and students in different projects. In this way, the next generations can shape their mobility of the future.
-Text and images curteousy of Mpact–