The government, the Province of Limburg, the Parkstad City Region, they all put a lot of money into it. But Velocity Limburg is on the edge of the abyss. The company that operates electric shared bicycles in South Limburg is in danger of being dragged into the fall of the German parent company.
Velocity Mobility promised silent and emission-free cycling
In South Limburg they like to think Euroregionally, as they call it. And that is entirely understandable because the province is wedged between Belgium and Germany: Liège and Aachen are much closer than The Hague. One of the recent projects in which Euroregional-minded administrators invested a lot of enthusiasm and money is Velocity Mobility. That is not surprising either. After all, what could be better than offering citizens the opportunity to leave their car at home more often and commute silently and emission-free on the cross-border paths between countries with a fast turbo bike?
Border region authorities invested hundreds of thousands in bankrupt Velocity Mobility
After the first lending station was realized in Kerkrade in 2018, the ground was broken in early 2021 for the construction of another twenty stations where everyone could rent a sustainable two-wheeler for one and a half euros per half hour. Just make a reservation via the special app and the bike is ready for a ride to work or a recreational trip through the beautiful hills, that was the idea. And it actually happened. Partly thanks to investments from the administrative partnership Stadsregio Parkstad Limburg and EMR Connect, a fund with which the authorities in the Meuse-Rhine region stimulate mobility, the Aachen parent company Velocity Mobility GmbH managed to implement the ambitious plans.
Velocity Limburg: ‘Figures are moving in the right direction’
Things also seemed to be going well with the operation of Europe’s first cross-border e-bike sharing system. Around Aachen, where 112 sharing stations have already been installed, Velocity rented out an e-bike 27,000 times in June last year. And in January, one of the worst months, January, there were still 12,000 departures. The Limburg side of the border also showed growth figures. “We are actually still in a start-up phase,” says Rob Beentjes of Parkstad City Region The Limburger. ‘Eight more substations will be added soon. The figures are moving in the right direction.’
Velocity Mobility struggled with the aftermath of corona measures
But the promising usage figures could not pay the bills. Velocity Mobility, which stems from an initiative by a group of students at the Technical University of Aachen, continued to struggle with the aftermath of the corona measures. And a few years ago, some of the German bicycles and stations were destroyed by vandals, a setback that also led to significant financial damage. Bankruptcy is inevitable for the parent company. The fifteen employees have already been dismissed. According to curator André Seckler, the cheese is empty and activities must be stopped. Rob Beentjes of Parkstad City Region nevertheless has good hope that the peloton of Limburg turbo bikes can continue to run. ‘Of course, a possible bankruptcy is being looked beyond. We are in consultation with Aachen to this end.’
