According to three car-sharing platforms operating in Brussels, the number of attempted thefts by minors of their cars has reached alarming levels. La Capitale newspaper reports this. According to them, Miles Mobility, Poppy, and GreenMobility have sent a joint letter to Brussels authorities denouncing the problem.

According to the three suppliers, their vehicles in the Brussels Region are damaged for no reason or simply for the pleasure of destroying them. Young people, in particular, break vehicle windows, empty the contents of fire extinguishers into vehicles, or tear off rear-view mirrors.

Fire extinguishers in sight

What’s more, attempted thefts by minors are reaching alarming levels, explain the operators of Miles Mobility, Poppy, and GreenMobility, who are taking the opportunity to raise the issue of required documentation and fire extinguishers in vehicles.

They also denounced computer fraud, such as accounts sold via Snapchat, Instagram, and Facebook. “We believe that the police should be given adequate resources and training to combat digital fraud in Brussels effectively,” they say.

Lack of rapid response

In general, the three car-sharing operators find that the Brussels Region, police, and the judiciary are not doing enough to help them tackle this kind of problem.

“The lack of rapid response from the police due to prioritization caused by staff shortages poses a significant challenge to the overall operation of our car-sharing services and results in substantial financial losses and service interruptions,” it says in their letter sent to the 19 Brussels Mayors, the six police chiefs of the Brussels police zones, and the Brussels Ministers of the Interior and Justice.

Joy-riding

For its part, the police admit that there is more theft and vandalism related to shared cars. According to them, shared vehicles are often stolen for rodeoing by young people under age and without driving licenses.

In the last nine months alone, for example, German newcomer Miles Mobility was confronted with about 20 thefts and 15 acts of vandalism.

According to the police, thieves and vandals often take advantage of the weaknesses in the security systems of these shared cars.

In 2022, the number of active car sharers in Belgium increased by 40% to 121 394. More than half of the car sharers are from Flanders, but car-sharing is also strongly established in Brussels, with just over 50 000 users, or 41% of the total.