• 16 december
  • Sustainable

On the road with Amber

Yvette Laros, communications advisor for the Housing and Facilities Department tries out the Amber herself.
For over a year, Fontys has had a partnership with e-carsharing provider Amber. Although more than 800 colleagues have already created an account, many still do not use this service. Communication co-worker Yvette Laros no longer wanted to get away with 'excuses' to still take her own car, and hit the road with Amber. How did it turn out?

Maybe some people don't know that Amber is part of the flexible travel offered by Fontys. Or they do know that the offer is there, but because it's new to them, they don't know how it works. Something new can be exciting for many people. That excitement can create a certain feeling of discomfort or uncertainty. Whether that's about a new job, a new hobby, a new work environment or in this case: a new means of transportation. Did that secretly also apply to me?

Electric driving

As a communications advisor at the Housing and Facilities Department, I couldn't ignore the Amber, which actually applies to all employees. Because my colleagues have to be at different Fontys locations, they often use the Amber. Yet I did so myself for the first time last October. "I'll just take my own car, it's just as easy," I thought. But actually I found the unknown too exciting. How do you open such a car? How does electric driving work? Where are the Amber-dedicated parking spots? For a long time I got away with those excuses.

Fine car

And then the time came for me to start using the car. Opening the car with the app: check. Card out of the dashboard, past the charging station to disconnect the cable: check. Pressing the start-stop button to start the engine: check. Setting the car in the right position: check. Drive off. Super smooth! Once I arrived at the location, it was a matter of getting out of the car and locking it again via the app (remote location was outside a service area so it became a day trip and I didn't have to end my drive yet).

For the return trip, I went down the same checklist in my head. At the drop-off location, I connected the charging cable instead of unplugging it and ended my ride. Satisfied, I walked back home. Something I had made into a very big thing in my head turned out to be not that exciting at all. In fact, it was actually a very cool experience. The car drove fine, I got to my destination quickly, and once at home I didn't have to think about claiming expenses for a business trip.

Author: Yvette Laros