The Traveller's Magazine
For first time visitors Amsterdam can be quite intimidating, just crossing the streets can become a real stressful experience.
There’s an estimated 880,000 bikes in Amsterdam, and an estimated 63 percent of people living there use their bikes every day – so you can visualize just how overwhelming the bike scene is.
Saying this, a bike rental company Yellow Bike has spotted an opportunity to connect locals with something that is initially Dutch. The initiative is called ‘Yellow backie’ which takes advantage of the Dutch tradition of hitching a ride on a friend’s luggage rack turns locals into unofficial ambassador.
The idea behind the scheme is that tourists can shout ‘BACKIE’ when they spot a cyclist with a yellow luggage rack, and hitch a ride from the local. They can then enjoy a short ride and engage in conversation with a local.
Since its launch in August, between 100 and 130 people have signed up to become yellow bike drivers.
