With an increasingly amount of people living in cities, sustainable business models have been popping up in the form of digital sharing mobility platforms. Sharing vehicles have the potential to reduce the overall amount of vehicles, reduce traffic and CO2 emissions. Sharing platforms make more efficient use of idle vehicles possible by allowing it to be used by other people than just the owner. Contrary to traditional renting of mobility, sharing mobility is often organized via a digital platform, available 24/7, not only during office hours and vehicle pickup locations are widely distributed, not centralized. Digital sharing platforms is a
relatively novel field of study and particularly from a circular economy point of view, it’s a just emerging stream. The aim of this study is to find an answer to the main research question:
To what extent does digital sharing mobility platforms play a role in circular economy within the Dutch market, in regards to circular economy principles? To add to the current debate on digital sharing platforms and its role in a circular economy, a deeper view has been adopted, specifically in mobility. This research explored the concept of sharing economy from a circular economy perspective in the context of sharing mobility in the Netherlands. Currently, no extant peer reviewed literature offers an examination of sharing mobility within circular economy in the Dutch market.
Interviews have been conducted with ten sharing mobility platforms, ranging from bike, scooter and car platforms. Platforms offer their vehicles as a service, where users are charged per minute, hour or day or per amount of distance. While vehicle ownership results in a lot of idle time wherein the vehicle is not being used for its purpose, i.e. when parked, sharing mobility and not owning a vehicle has the potential to reduce the overall amount of vehicles.
That is what virtually all platforms aim for, before anything else, reducing the amount of cars in the city and reducing emissions. Sustainability is said to be at the core of most platforms.
Not only are certain platforms utilizing mechanisms to slow the product cycle, mobility
37 sharing is engaging in closing the product cycle to some extent as well, another circular economy principle. An example of this is that sharing vehicles by definition is enabling and incentivizing users to return the product after use. A sharing car can be used by up to twenty users in a month, after all, instead of solely the owner of the vehicle.
It is safe to say the these sharing platforms do play a role in a circular economy, as long as circular principles are utilized. This research has shown that multiple concrete examples of at least two main circular economy principles, i.e. slow and close, are touched upon.
Examples of how sharing mobility platforms slow the product cycle is through its design for durability and quality, design for repair and maintenance and by offering a product as a service. Examples of how sharing mobility platforms support closing the product cycle is through enabling and incentivizing users to return the product after use. Vehicle sharing is inherently more sustainable than vehicle ownership and is reflected by the platform’s mission statements. Digital technologies are tools that make providing services to users possible.
Sensors make monitoring remotely possible, with the potential of extending vehicle’s
lifecycle. The digital platform act as an enabler for more sustainable behavior, as accessibility for users is high and pricing can be competitive to ownership in certain cases. This research contributed to the understanding of digital sharing mobility platforms in the Netherlands and what their role is in sustainability and circularity. The results confirmed that sustainability is highly valued and often intentionally part of their mission. This might give society, businesses and governments confidence in adopting and accepting sharing mobility as one of the
solutions for sustainable transportation. Digital sharing mobility platforms contribute to a more sustainable environment and play a role in the transition from the mainstream linear economic model, towards a more circular economy, by slowing and closing the product cycle.
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42 Appendix A
Platform Website Mode of transport Type of
provider
Deelfiets Nederland https://www.deelfietsnederland.nl/ bike B2P
OV-fiets https://www.ns.nl/deur-tot-deur/ov-fiets bike B2P
Keobikes https://www.keobike.nl/ bike B2P
Flickbike https://www.flickbike.nl/ bike B2P
Hopperpoint https://hopperpoint.nl/ bike B2B
DonkeyRepublic https://www.donkey.bike/ bike B2P
Nextbike https://www.nextbike.nl/ bike B2P
Hello-bike https://hello-bike.net/ bike B2B
Urbee https://urbee.nl/ bike B2P
Uwdeelfiets.nl https://www.uwdeelfiets.nl/ bike B2P
GoAbout https://goabout.com/ bike B2P
Cargoroo https://cargoroo.nl/ bike B2P
HTM Fiets https://www.htm.nl/ons-vervoer/htm-fiets bike B2P
Hely https://hely.com/ bike/car B2P
Felyx https://felyx.com/ scooter B2P
GO Sharing https://nl.go-sharing.com/ scooter B2P
RideCheck https://ridecheck.app/ scooter B2P
Greenwheels https://www.greenwheels.nl/ car B2P
Mywheels https://mywheels.nl/ car B2P
Connectcar https://connectcar.nl/ car B2P
ShareNow https://www.share-now.com/ car B2P
Snappcar https://www.snappcar.nl/ car P2P
Fetch https://fetchcarsharing.nl/ car B2P
Sixt https://www.sixt.nl/share/ car B2P
Studentcar https://studentcar.nl/ car B2P
Witkar https://www.witkar.nl/ car B2P
Juuve https://juuve.nl/ car/bike B2P
DriveAmber https://driveamber.com/ car B2P
Elektrip https://www.elektrip.nl/ car B2P and P2P
Turo https://turo.com/ car P2P
43 Appendix B
Interview protocol for NS/OV-fiets. Introduction text (translated to English):
Thank you for joining me to answer some questions I would like to ask. We have had contact over email and I will briefly explain my research once more. My research is about the role of digital sharing mobility platforms in the circular economy. For this, I’m conducting
interviews with various companies active in this industry, just like your company. Before we continue, I would like to have your permission to record this session, so I can listen back to it.
I will be the only one listening to it, it will only be used for my research and it won’t be shared with others. Let’s start with question 1:
1. What is the mission of NS and OV-fiets and what is your vision?
2. How many sharing bikes do you make use of?
3. In what way did corona had impact on the amount of users or on the usage in general of your sharing bikes?
4. How is customer experience measured?
5. For many bike sharing platforms, their mobile app is central to their business. While such an app has several advantages, OV-fiets is mainly working with the OV-chipkaart. Is an app like this something you’re considering for the future? Why/why not?
6. How does the acquisition of your sharing bikes work? Are you involved in that process? Or is it more like a quick online order?
7. In terms of sustainability, what is the lifespan of the bikes? Is preventive maintenance done?
8. Do the bikes equip sensors or other technologies? Why/why not?
9. Do you collect data about how people use the bikes and how is this data being used to improve your services?
10. What happens with broken down bikes?
11. In the past, there have been an attempt to introduce electric bicycles and scooters,
unsuccessfully. Is this something that is being considered again, now that its popularity seems to rise? Why/why not?
12. Hoe belangrijk is duurzaamheid voor NS? How important is sustainability for NS and OV-fiets?
13. What can NS or OV-fiets do to become more sustainable? Are there still steps to take?
We have come to the end of my list of questions. Do you have any questions for me? If not, I would like to thank you again for the time you have taken to answer all my questions. I wish you all the best and have a great day.