After an intensive preparation period, the Park + Switch MoLo hub was officially opened on Monday, February 25,
by alderman Melanie van der Horst.
The Amsterdam Approach
Amsterdam is taking a major step towards more sustainable and efficient service logistics with the introduction of its first MoLo hub. This hub offers service companies (e.g. technicians) a smart solution to reach clients in busy urban areas, such as the city center, more quickly and cleanly.
Technicians can park their vans at the hub and switch to a light electric vehicle—such as an electrical citycar, scooter, or cargo bike—for the last stretch of their journey. This reduces traffic congestion, saves time, and lowers parking costs.
Access to the city center remains a challenge due to roadworks, deliveries, and street closures. Once on-site, parking is often scarce and expensive. Moreover, Amsterdam has introduced a zero-emission zone, which will expand until 2030, when the entire city within the ring road will be emission-free.
Alderman M. van der Horst of the Amsterdam city council
Jammed traffic in a typical Amsterdam canal street
Official Launch
After an intensive preparation period, the Park + Switch MoLo hub was officially opened on Monday, February 25, by alderman Melanie van der Horst. Under significant media attention, Van der Horst handed over the hub to its first user: a technician from cooling technology company IJskoud. The combination of sustainability efforts and skepticism on (social) media drew a large number of journalists to the event.
Partnerships & Technology
The companies Mobian and Mego Mobility collaborated to build the digital infrastructure and fully operate the hub. Through a website and an app, users can make reservations and open or lock the vehicles. All vehicles are wirelessly charged.
Currently, two companies are using the hub:
- AG, a contractor renovating a canal house, mainly utilizes the hub for personnel transport.
- IJskoud uses the hub for maintenance jobs.
Additionally, the Amsterdam University of Applied Sciences is collecting data on hub usage, and the Amsterdam Transport Authority is contributing to the project as well.
With this innovative hub, Amsterdam is setting a new standard in sustainable service logistics.
Source & Pictures: City of Amsterdam
First technician drives off
A part of the hub