German provider Miles Mobility landed on Tuesday in Antwerp with a fleet of 100 shared cars, all VW Polos and Audi to start. After Ghent, its Belgian introduction, Miles started running a fleet of 100 Opel Corsa models in the capital. With three footholds in Belgium now, one-way trips between the three cities and the airports of Brussels and Antwerp are a possibility at no extra cost.

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. Miles is a ‘free-floating’ sharing service, meaning the cars have no fixed stations to return to, but can be left within designated zones.

Charging per kilometer

Contrary to others, Miles charges per kilometer (0,98 euros) instead of per minute, unless for ‘temporary’ parking mode (€0,29) when the car remains reserved for you. Daily rates or even longer rentals, like 14 days to use the car for a holiday, are also possible. A dedicated app will guide you to the most economical option, Miles promises.

Miles says a reservation of three hours and 40 kilometers costs €34. A weekend of three days and 150 kilometers comes to €104. Those prices include VAT, fuel, road tax, parking tickets, maintenance, and car insurance.

Refueling at no cost

When fuel is low, refueling can be done at any TotalEnergies station with automatic payment cared for by the app. To reward users willing to fill up when the fuel level is below 25%, Miles issues an €8 credit for the next rental. This way, the company doesn’t need to do the refueling itself.

Even with a shared car fleet nearing a thousand in Antwerp, Miles Belgium CEO Robin Gasthuys and the Antwerp Alderman for Mobility Koen Kennis are convinced there is still room for expansion.

Car sharing booming in Belgium

“Belgians not only have a brick in their stomach but also like to have a shared car within walking distance. Car sharing is booming in Belgium,” Milers says in its press release. ”

At the end of 2022, for instance, there were 121 394 active car-sharing users: 40% more users than at the end of 2021, according to official figures published by the non-profit organization autodelen.net in February 2023″

The biggest group of car sharers is found in Flanders (more than 50%), with Brussels following with 40%, and the Walloons, with a much more rural community, trails with only 3%. In 2022, 621 shared cars were added to the fleets, most of them by Poppy expansion and with the arrival of Miles Mobility.

Replacing 17 740 private cars in Flanders

“The group of enthusiasts of free-floating car-sharing systems – such as that of Miles Mobility – saw the biggest increase last year, with no fewer than 78% active car-sharing users,” the German car-share provider says.

According to autodelen.net, every shared car replaces three to ten private cars, often second cars of families who replace them by renting occasionally. In Flanders alone, the number of personal vehicles taken from the roads by car sharing is estimated at 17 740, which would take 32 football fields to park. Flanders aims to have at least two shared cars per 1 000 inhabitants by 2030.

Poppy doubles its fleet in Ghent

To underline the figures of autodelen.net and the booming car-sharing business in Belgium, D’Ieteren announced at the same time it is going to double its fleet in Ghent from 90 today to 200 by the end of the Spring.

According to Poppy, statistics show that six months after landing in Ghent, the cars are often used by citizens to move heavy stuff around, to go shopping outside the city, or to use them for a long weekend in the country.