Greenwheels Car Rental
If you are moving to the Netherlands and are looking for a greener and more affordable way to drive, you could consider a car sharing scheme called Greenwheels. This 'pay-as-you-go' plan works out far cheaper than owning your own car, especially if you drive only 2 or 3 days a month. Rentals are charged by the hour. |
There are around 1,000 Greenwheels cars (mainly red Peugeots) at permanent parking spots in 70 Dutch towns and cities.
To sign up for the scheme you send an application form with a copy of your (EU) driver's license, after which you receive a personal chip card.
As a member you can reserve online any car in the country (as long as its available for the times you want it). You pick the car up as follows - your card has an RFID chip which unlocks the door, you then enter your special pincode in the console on the dash and off you go. Reservations can be cancelled up to 1 hour before. If you need the car for longer while using it you can call their call centre to see if its available.
You pay a flat subscription fee every month - there are different levels of memberships, tariffs shown here (Dutch). On top you will pay an hourly charge for the car rental plus a small extra fee per kilometre driven. Those holding a Dutch railways "NS" discount card (called the "voordeelurenkaart") get an extra discount off the subscription. If you need to fill the tank, petrol is paid for by Greenwheels using a special PIN card.
All in all a good scheme for those who need occasional use of a car but don't want to pay the high running costs, insurance and residential parking fees.
Greenwheels Nederland, Postbus 4031, 3006 AA Rotterdam
Tel. 0900 2100100
(within NL 5 cents per minute)