Poppy expands Antwerp fleet to 900 shared cars

D’Ieteren’s shared mobility service, Poppy Mobility, will double its fleet in Antwerp to meet growing demand. By the end of spring, 450 new red cars will be driving around in the city of Antwerp, on top of the 450 shared cars that are already available now.

“The expansion of our fleet will allow us to always have a vehicle closer to the user,” explains Poppy’s CMO, Pierre de Schaetzen. “It will increase the quality of our service.”

Antwerp Alderman for Mobility, Koen Kennis (N-VA), is pleased with the expansion. “Shared cars help to reduce the number of passenger cars on the roads so they directly contribute to the quality of life and the necessary modal shift in the Antwerp region.”

Poppy Mobility offers shared vehicles that can be unlocked via an app. Users pay a price per minute, per hour, or per day. Fuel, parking, insurance, and maintenance are included. The fleet contains more than ten different car models – gasoline and electric – and users can even choose between premium models or vans.

Many car-sharing providers in Antwerp

In Antwerp, many car-sharing providers are already present, with Cambio, D’Ieteren’s Poppy, Green Mobility, Partago, and Cozywheels together running a fleet of +830 cars. Recently, German provider Miles Mobility landed in Antwerp with a fleet of 100 shared cars, all VW Polos and Audi to start. Miles is a ‘free-floating’ sharing service, meaning the cars have no fixed stations to return to, but can be left within designated zones.

Poppy was created in 2017 in Antwerp and meanwhile is also operational in Brussels, Mechelen, Ghent, Lier, and Liège. The company has grown spectacularly since the end of the corona pandemic. Pierre de Schaetzen, Poppy’s CMO, explains why. “Due to teleworking, private passenger cars are being used less and less. Cars stand still, and below 12 000 km, a shared car is cheaper.”