Car-sharing companies see rise in bookings ahead of public transport strike on Wednesday

Many people in the Netherlands are looking for alternative transport ahead of the 24-hour public transport strike on Wednesday. There will be no national trains running, with the exception of some trains to Schiphol, and no regional transport either.
Car-sharing companies are seeing a significant increase in bookings as a result.

SnappCar stated that the company has received “hundreds of extra bookings,” more than double a regular Wednesday. “This will also rise quickly as people will try to reserve a car at the last minute. Think around 10 minutes before they need the car. So we are expecting a significant rise tomorrow morning,” a spokesperson said.

MyWheels has seen a fourfold rise in rides booked compared to the usual Wednesday in the last 10 weeks, a spokesperson for the company said. He is also expecting this to rise further, “considering 86% of rides are booked within 48 hours of departure on an average Wednesday.”

People are also reserving their cars earlier, Greenwheels has noticed. “We often see this at times when mobility needs change, due to weather conditions, holidays, or the availability of other forms of transport. It goes without saying that a public transport strike also has an effect,” the spokesperson said. The company also noticed this in June during the previous public transport strikes.

SnappCar CEO Victor van Tol also recalls the rush in June. “We were sold out in the large cities with the exception of a few delivery vans. “That’s why we urged car owners over the weekend to make their vehicles available through car-sharing services for the day.”

Many universities like the Radboud University in Nijmegen and Tilburg University have stated on their websites that classes will proceed despite the strike. This also goes for University of Applied Sciences in Zwolle and Almere by companies like Windesheim. Fontys University of Applied Sciences and Inholland University of Applied Sciences say classes will continue, but they may be held online or rescheduled.

Appointments at hospitals like the Haga Hospital in The Hague the Eye Hospital in Rotterdam are still scheduled. Patients are asked to take the extra travel time into consideration.