Municipalities that implement shared transportation without physical hubs end up with the opposite of what they intended: more complaints, lower usage, and public spaces that remain cluttered.

The Problem with Digital Hubs

A digital hub exists only on a phone screen. On-site, the user has no visual cues whatsoever: no markings, no signs, nothing to indicate where the vehicle should go. In addition, the app consistently deviates by 1 - 5 meters when indicating the area where the vehicle should be parked. Furthermore, the vehicle can be positioned anywhere within this area. Users search, move the vehicle around, give up, or simply leave the vehicle where it is.

For residents, it's even less transparent. They see vehicles parked on the same corner, with no explanation as to why. That doesn't feel like a policy, but rather like arbitrariness. The result: reports, complaints, and pressure on enforcement officers.

Shared mobility provider Check conducted a study on this and reached the following conclusions:

+25% increase

In customer service inquiries regarding parking following the introduction of digital hubs

1 -5 meters

GPS error for each provider

Fewer trips,

usage is declining due to the usse of digital hubs only

What physical hubs do

A physical hub is visible, understandable, and manageable. The green hub-sign, part of Mijksenaar's national identity, provided by AGMI, makes the location recognizable from a distance. Markings on the ground indicate exactly where vehicles should be parked. Bike staples physically secure them in place. Information signs and kiosks explain the reasoning to users and residents.

Users don't necessarily have to check their app. Residents understand what they see. And the municipality has a designated area that it can explain and enforce.

Physical hub

• Visible without an app
• Easy for residents to understand
• No reliance on GPS
• Possitive effect on trip frequency
• Encourages the shift to shared transportation

Digital hub

• Visible only in the app
• Feels arbitrary
• More complaints from nearby residents, resulting in less public support
• Structural GPS deviation
• Demonstrably lower usage
• Higher barrier to entry for new users
• Difficult to enforce

Our recommandation to municipalities and provinces

Use digital hubs as supplement; never deploy them as primary infrastructure. Anyone serious about shared mobility, and the goals associated with it, cannot do without physical hubs.

AGMI supplies and installs hub signs, road markings, and bike racks in accordance with Mijksenaar's national brand identity. We're happy to collaborate with you on locations, layout, and phasing.

Are you curious about what a physical hub could mean for your municipality or province? Please contact us using the form below:

Figures: Check survey, May 2026