Video: Amsterdam bike renter launches free taxi alternative

Bike renter Yellow Bike has come up with an initiative to bring Amsterdam residents and tourists closer together by offering tourists a free ride on the back of your bike. Amsterdammers interested in the idea can have the recognizable yellow carrier installed on the back of their bike for free. The "Yellow Backie" idea has been met with worldwide approval, AD reports. Bloggers from all over the world, including America, China, Russia and Brazil, are writing enthusiastically about the idea. Initiators Wilmar Verspille and Matthijs Groos are happy about the positive reactions. "We have been busy with Yellow Backie for a week and already 30 Amsterdammers are cycling around with a yellow carrier", Werspille said to the AD. "We are committed to bringing Amsterdammers and tourists in contact with each other", Verspille said to why they are installing the carriers for free, as it obviously costs them money. "There has been so much negativity lately about the increasing tourism in the city, that we found that its time fore something positive to happen." Anyone interested in joining this initiative can go the the Yellow Backie website and write a motivation explaining why they would like to join. Versprille said that they sometimes get motivations like "then tourists won't get under my feet at least", and reject them, but "often we luckily read that Amsterdammers are proud of their city and that they think that tourists end up in the wrong places." Those who do not want to go through the trouble but would still like to give a tourist a lift, can simply paint their carrier yellow. Versprille emphasized that the Yellow Backie idea is absolutely not that you charge money for the ride. "Of course it is also not the intention that you tear through a red light like a crazy with a tourist on the back." You also do not have to stop each time a tourist lifts a hand. "You only pick someone up when it suits you."