Swapfiets – the world’s first ‘bicycle as a service’ company
Swapfiets is the world’s first ‘bicycle as a service’ company in the Netherlands, with nearly 250.000 members, and is active in 9 countries and 65 cities in Europe. It provides micro-mobility to many European cities and continues its expansion while including new e-mobility products in its portfolio.
Swapfiets turns the old “take-make-waste” approach into a usage-focused, circular economy. By closing the loop of repair, reuse, refurbishment, and recycling the bike membership proves bicycles can become more circular and sustainable, contributing to more liveable cities.
A recent life cycle analysis demonstrated that the most popular Swapfiets, Deluxe 7, is already 88% circular.
"We prove that we can deliver great service with a more sustainable product and we challenge others to do the same"
Richard Burger, Founder of Swapfiets
Micro-mobility leader in Europe
Founded in 2014 in the Netherlands, the scale-up quickly developed, being one of the leading micro-mobility providers in Europe with nearly 250.000 members in the Netherlands, Germany, Belgium, Denmark, France, Italy, and the UK in early 2021. In Spring 2021, Swapfiets expanded to Spain (Barcelona), Austria (Vienna), and Lyon, Nantes, Strasbourg, and Toulouse (France).
Swapfiets has started to design its products that last while being easy to repair, reuse and recycle. For every bike, a passport is created to monitor every piece of material in the supply, from chain to saddle, helping to avoid wasted resources and the need to produce new components.
Closing the loop – Swapfiets is currently considering multiple strategies to ensure the end-of-life of its bikes is circular. First, by retaining ownership of the bicycles, Swapfiets is financially incentivized to make them last as long as possible.
Sustainability Outcomes:
Swapfiets deluxe is estimated to operate at ‘88% circularity’ with about 9% entering the system as virgin materials and 3% leaving it as waste (Partners for Innovation, 2020). This high rate is achieved through the return rate of Swapfiets bicycles, extensive repairs done to maintain service quality, and re-use or remanufacture of components (Partners for Innovation, 2020).
* The website www.swapfiets.com and mobile app provide a detailed overview of each city’s availability and prices for each bicycle and e-mobility product.
