Miles car-sharing service to exit Belgium, citing vandalism and theft

German car-share company Miles is leaving Belgium due to vandalism, misuse of its vehicles and attempted thefts.

The problems are especially bad in Brussels, the company’s management told La Libre, where another car-sharing company, GreenMobility, packed up shop in 2023.

Miles has been operating in Belgium for three years with a fleet of 1,4000 vehicles and has 180,000 registered users.

It launched in 2022 in Ghent, Brussels and Antwerp and was intended to set an example for more sustainable methods of urban transport.

Car shares are becoming increasingly popular, which makes Miles’ exit somewhat unusual.

“Although our usage figures show a positive trend, our activities were increasingly affected by vandalism, misuse of our cars and attempted theft, especially in Brussels,” the company said in a statement.

This resulted in a "significant negative impact" on the company's profitability and measures to better protect the cars did little to help.

The exit will take place slowly via a gradual reduction in the fleet. The Berlin-based company will then focus on the German market.

Belgian car-share company Poppy said it intends to stay, regardless of operating difficulties.

“We are a Belgian company,” marketing director Pierre de Schaetzen told De Tijd. “The challenge for us is to deal with the environment as it is.”

De Schaetzen said Poppy also experienced abuse of its fleet but was able to implement measures to curb it, though he did not wish to disclose those measures.