On-demand car-sharing project, Poppy, launches in Antwerp

One of the largest Volkswagen Group importers in Europe, D’letern has launched a car-sharing project under the name of Poppy…

The D’Ieteren group has launched its Antwerp-based mobility service in partnership with Vulog, the world leader in shared mobility technologies, called Poppy.

With a fleet of 200 Volkswagen e-golfs and 150 Audi A3 g-trons, the 350 vehicles are arranged on a free-floating basis which enables instant access with no need to drop them off at a fixed location. Poppy users are able to locate and access vehicles with just a few taps via their smartphone, with their following trip billed per minute.

As Poppy co-Founder and CEO, Alexander Van Laer, explained: “These days, nearly everyone has their own car, but most of the population doesn’t use it every day. Through Poppy, we give users the possibility of choosing a car based on their need at a particular moment. It’s not just easier, it’s much more economical and respectful of the environment.”

Vulog provides a Software as a Service (SaaS) platform that includes all the services essential to a shared mobility project, whether utilising cars or scooters. Currently, Vulog solutions manage more than 10 million car-sharing trips each year and make up the technological heart of many mobility services. Clients include Evo in Vancouver, emov in Madrid and GreenMobility in Copenhagen, as well as numerous other services in Europe, North America, South America and Oceania.

“We’re very proud to be working alongside the D’Ieteren group on this new project in Belgium. Given their local facilities and expertise, auto distributors have a key role to play in structuring new shared mobility services. Operating such a service today will be a real asset tomorrow when it comes to managing a shared autonomous fleet,” explained Vulog CEO, Grégory Ducongé.