Scooter sharing company Felyx is no longer allowed to rent scooters in the city since April 1. The Amsterdam company, which has been providing electric scooters since 2017, lost the tender to other providers. The company is not going to leave it at that, and today it visited the local councilor to present a petition on behalf of more than five thousand Amsterdam residents.
The fact that Felyx lost its permit is painful, according to CEO Dan Baker. “It's a bit of a shock, especially when you see other motorcycles passing by,” he says of Stopera. There he and two colleagues submitted a petition to Chancellor Melanie van der Horst today. “We believe errors were made in the tender procedures and would like them to be looked at again. So that we are not forced to disappear from the city unfairly.” The Objection Committee will take its decision on this matter next week.
Nearly three weeks after scooters disappeared from the city, you can still see scooters on various street corners. According to Baker, removing the scooters is much slower now that the company has had to lay off about three dozen employees. “We're not happy about it either, because it sometimes causes inconvenience and increases the risk of vandalism,” says Baker. “But we are doing it as quickly as we can.”
In other municipalities such as Amstelveen and Diemen, you can still rent a Felyx car, so you can also try riding scooters here. “You can also drive to Amsterdam and park your car. If, for example, you have to go to a store. You have to park it outside the city.” The municipality gave Felix until the end of the month. After that, all the scooters should already be gone.
