BAM Energie & Water has found Park + Switch to be an ideal solution for replacing electricity and gas meters in busy city areas. A team of four mechanics and one inspector traveled to Amsterdam, where they swapped their vans for electric cargo bikes, micro-cars or scooters at the edge of the city centre.
Maurice Nooij
Chief Electrical Engineering Supervisor Roelof Visser explained:
“These guys want to get the job done. Spending an hour searching for a parking space doesn’t make them happy.”
They met on the Nieuwmarkt, where mechanic Maurice Nooij arrived on a Park + Switch cargo bike. It was loaded with electricity and gas meters for fourteen addresses — his full day’s work. “I only see advantages,” said Nooij. “With a van, I barely manage ten addresses a day. You’re constantly looking for parking, making detours, and if you’re unlucky, you get stuck in traffic. With this bike, I can park right on the sidewalk at the address I need. It’s easy and fast — perfect for the city centre.”
This isn’t the first time Visser’s team has worked by bike. “We’ve used cargo bikes before in the Jordaan for similar projects,” Visser explained. “When I heard about Park + Switch in the media, I immediately thought: we’ll soon have a lot of addresses to visit for Liander (Dutch energy network provider) meter replacements — this could be just the thing for us. And after two weeks, I can say it’s great. We keep a storage container in the city centre for supplies. One mechanic uses a cargo bike, another drives a micro-car, and the inspector rides a scooter. They all find it very convenient.”
Emission-free travel offers a double benefit for the mechanics: it saves time and earns them a little extra. “At BAM Energie & Water, we aim to work as CO₂-neutrally as possible — and we’ve made great progress,” said Visser. “I encourage my team to drive electric by giving them a small bonus. The guys doing this work receive a percentage on top of their regular rate.” Visser believes Park + Switch is an excellent fit for this type of job. “It’s perfect for small, repetitive tasks like meter replacements,” he said. “When you must visit many addresses in a single day, you don’t want to spend most of your time looking for parking or stuck in traffic. We’re currently using Park + Switch for electricity and gas meters, but it would also be ideal for replacing water meters or for technicians installing internet connections at people’s homes.”
Originally, BAM’s trial with Park + Switch was planned to run through October, but it has already been extended by two weeks. In spring 2026, more addresses in another part of the city centre are scheduled for meter replacements. In the meantime, Visser is considering a flexible subscription for occasional use.
“Being able to hop on a micro-car or scooter is simply more convenient than driving a van into the city centre,” he concluded.
Source: City of Amsterdam & logistiek 020