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A digital platform that links supply and demand – how original is that? Isn’t that also a bit of a tired business model? The ‘moving platform’ Brenger nevertheless seems to have successfully found a specific niche where this business model actually works. The Dutch start-up focuses exclusively on the transportation of large items (couches, cabinets, refrigerators, etc.) delivered by couriers who are already on the road as it is.

With our formula, we save five million kilometers in trips, as much as ten rounds of the earth each month.” Derk van der Have, from Brenger

This means that the holds of vans and small trucks used by delivery services are driving around the country a lot less empty. That amounts to outright savings in terms of money and definitely in terms of carbon dioxide emissions. In that sense, Berger is an innovative platform. “We saved five million kilometers in trips last year with our formula,” estimates Derk van der Have, co-founder and director of Brenger in his own press release. That’s as much as ten laps around the earth every month.

Volstoppen

The principle is simple. A couch or a refrigerator or any other large object has to go from A to B. The transport can be done by a delivery company or by the customer themselves. But the result is that in most cases a van has to drive there especially for it. Usually it is driven back empty. Bringer schedules goods in advance, so courier vans are filled up as much as possible.

Besides cutting down on mileage and helping the environment a little, it also benefits the consumer. The price is lower than if a regular delivery service were used. Brenger is therefore frequently used for picking up and delivering goods bought from the Internet marketing site Marktplaats, the Dutch eBay.

Quality is important

Because the platform allows customers to rate drivers, they can even decide on the quality of the service they want to use. Quality is more important when delivering large items than when delivering a package, whereby the contents have little chance of being damaged. According to Brenger, the platform also has advantages for couriers, as they can earn a little extra on a route that they are already taking.

Brenger, which was founded in 2016, aims to have handled 2.5 million hauls by 2024. With that, Brenger seeks to reduce the Netherlands’ total CO2 emissions by 0.024%. It is not known whether a similar digital platform exists elsewhere in Europe. Although there is Chaincargo, which links urgent shipments to drivers who are already in the area.