The Brussels municipality of Ixelles is giving a new boost to station-based car sharing, which guarantees users a dedicated parking space.
A new Cambio station and seven additional vehicles aim to further strengthen Ixelles’ car-sharing offer before the summer.
The station, ‘Cocq’, will soon open, just a stone’s throw from Fernand Cocq Square.
The new Cambio station ‘Cocq’ will soon open, just a stone’s throw from Fernand Cocq Square.
In addition to the three vehicles at the new ‘Cocq’ station, which is reintroduced after it disappeared in 2018 during the renovation of the Fernand Cocq Square, the ‘Blyckaerts’, ‘De Hennin’, ‘Ma Campagne’ and ‘Mercelis’ stations will each receive one additional vehicle.
Ixelles will now have 32 car-sharing stations, with a total of 111 vehicles.
Mobility and Parking Alderwoman Valérie Libert told this site: “This is a densely populated and busy neighbourhood where, until now, there was no station-based car-sharing offer.
“The recent departure of Getaround has further weakened that offer, at a time when demand is increasing. It was therefore time to reintroduce this type of shared vehicle in the neighbourhood, while also strengthening the existing stations across the municipality.”
“One Cambio car replaces up to 13 privately owned vehicles and is used by around 30 households. Users not only gain easy access to a car, but also benefit from the guarantee of a parking space in their neighbourhood,” the Alderwoman emphasised.
For local residents who own a car but do not have a private garage, the municipal off-street ‘Tulipe’ car park, located near the Fernand Cocq Square, offers several attractive subscription options, including an evenings-and-weekends package for €44 per month.
A municipality spokesman said, “While a car is sometimes necessary, it is increasingly viewed through a logic of use rather than ownership: people use a car when they need one, in specific situations.”
The new facilities, she said, will “promote sustainable mobility and at the same time provide simple and affordable access to a car.”
