Mobiel 21 tests temporary Hoppin points in Leuven
Since this week, a temporary Hoppin point has stood at community centre Sint-Maartensdal in Leuven. Local residents can borrow shared bicycles and a shared car there in the coming months. The city of Leuven, together with Mobiel 21 and VELO, is investigating what thresholds people experience in doing so.
Since 2021, you will find more than 40 Hoppin points in Leuven. At such a point, you will find various forms of shared mobility, and you can often also switch to public transport. "Partial mobility is already very popular in our city," explains David Dessers, alderman for mobility in Leuven. "More and more Leuven residents are opting for a shared bike or car. In four years, the number of car-sharing users has increased by no less than 80%. The number of Leuven residents regularly using a shared bike has increased fivefold. These are punishing figures, but there is still margin for growth and we also know that some Leuven residents find it difficult to find their way to shared mobility."
Share cars and share bikes
In order to remove potential barriers to the use of shared bicycles and cars, and to lead even more Leuven residents towards shared mobility, a temporary Hoppin point is now located at community centre Sint-Maartensdal. There, visitors to the community centre will be able to borrow a shared car and various types of shared bikes, from simple city bikes to electric cargo bikes, in the coming months. Neighbourhood workers, VELO and Mobiel 21 will guide them in doing so. Other local residents can also borrow the shared bicycles during the test period at a preferential rate after registering on www.leuven.be/deelfietsen.
Barriers to shared mobility
In exchange for the test drives, the city is asking users to provide feedback. "This way, we want to find out what local residents think of the Hoppinpunt, what barriers, if any, they experience and whether they plan to use a shared vehicle more often in the future," says Sam Delespaul, researcher at Mobiel 21.
"With these insights, we can make shared mobility more inclusive, and use it even better in the fight against transport poverty," adds Elisabeth De Roover, project coordinator at VELO. In any case, based on the feedback, the city council plans to see if it can provide permanent sharing points at community centres in the future.
In fact, the city previously set up a temporary Hoppin point at community centre Mannenstraat. In December, the subpoint will then move to neighbourhood centre Casablanca in Kessel-Lo.
With support from Interreg
City of Leuven, VELO and Mobiel 21 can count on European support for this initiative through the Interreg project ShareDiMobiHub.
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