Fuel prices have skyrocketed in recent weeks and yet many lease drivers with a company fuel card in their pocket will hardly notice this. Other companies will get into trouble. The taxi companies, among others, are therefore asking the Flemish municipalities and cities to be able to increase the rates. It must be possible to pass on the extremely high fuel costs to the consumer.
For starters, we should avoid massive refueling along the highway. That saves 15 to 20 cents per litre, which is equivalent to a full tank. In addition, it is also healthier because the croquette from the wall or another fatty bite is no longer necessary. Motorists who do have to deal with the high fuel prices at the pump are more likely to think of alternatives, such as carpooling. Hitchhiking was popular in the 70s. Many young people then went on a journey by raising their thumbs. It is not only a good solution for employees, students can also benefit from it.
Taxi stop
Who is not familiar with the term Taxistop? It is a system once devised for cost-sharing lifts, introduced in Flanders by the non-profit organization Centrum voor Positive Aanwending. Yet there is a new name, new look, but still the same values! And Taxistop is now called Mpact. Its working principle is to bring travelers and drivers together.
“Carpooling can be the ideal meeting place for students. There is a need for contact, especially after the corona pandemic.” Moreover, Esen notes that there is more interest in carpooling since the rising fuel prices: "There are almost three times more registrations than last year."
carpool
Mpact is working on a more efficient and accessible transport system. For this they are guided by the principle of 'more with less'. Mpact wants more energy efficiency, inclusion, social cohesion and less traffic jams, emissions and costs. After all, what you organize more efficiently is often more sustainable. When you share a ride by carpooling, you take a car off the road. You save pollution and CO2 and take up less space on the track, which means less traffic jams.
Mpact believes that the number of cars and car movements in Belgium can decrease. If walking, cycling, collective transport and shared mobility are qualitatively expanded and are connected with each other, passenger mobility will become extremely efficient. Different modes of transport can be connected with each other via infrastructure (mobi points), multimodal route planning and sales and ticketing (Mobility as a Service).
Mpact is a non-profit organization and therefore does not aim to make a profit. The impact on people and the environment is what drives them.
Also read: Municipalities must do more to encourage shared cars