No less than 8% of driving licence holders in Brussels regularly use shared cars, highlighting the growing popularity of carsharing. In response to this trend, the Brussels-Capital Region has updated its regulations on this sector.
The region is looking to decrease the number of cars in urban areas, which is why it has embraced carsharing as an alternative to owning a car. To encourage the arrival of more carsharing services, Brussels is making regulations more flexible.
"Brussels wants to encourage the use of shared cars. They are the future of the car in the city. On the one hand, they give families the chance to have a car without having to bear the cost. On the other hand, they encourage using the car only when no efficient alternative is available," Elke Van den Brandt, Minister for Mobility said.
More than 50,000 people have registered as users in Brussels, while there are 1,055 shared cars currently available. Across Belgium, seven times more people use carsharing services compared to five years ago. The hike in fuel prices has further driven a rise in the popularity of this flexible mode of transport, a recent Vias report showed.
Aside from helping with the promotion of multimodal passenger transport, carsharing also contributes to a smaller use of space by cars on public roads, as there will be fewer individual cars and shared cars are parked for shorter periods of time.
"This freed space can be used to create high-quality public spaces with squares, terraces, trees, etc," said Van den Brandt.
What changes this month?
New rules will come into force in Brussels this month, while new providers will start operating in the region.
Most importantly, people can now rent a shared car for 14 days at once, almost five times longer than the previous maximum duration of use, which sat at three days. The region will also give operators more freedom in terms of pricing.
Carsharing parking spots in Brussels. Credit: Belga/ Siska Gremmelprez
"These changes encourage the entry of new providers and the diversification of the service offering, which benefits users," a press statement from Brussels Mobility read.
From Tuesday, a new provider named MILES will start operating in the region, with 200 free fleet cars. The company charges per kilometre travelled rather than the time the car is in use.
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For no extra cost, users can also drive from between Brussels and Ghent and soon also to Antwerp. The idea is to allow people to drive their car from one city to another and leave the car there.
Another provider, GreenMobility, will soon also be active in the region with an 100% electric car fleet.
