If you’ve ever been to Amsterdam, or really just read about the city on any bike-related site, it will be clear to you that this is a city overrun by bikes. While many cities around the world talk about trying to encourage more people to get around by bike, Amsterdam is a the place where this has been taken to the extreme. It’s said that there are actually more bikes in the city than people, and with so many people cycling it has actually made it sometimes harder to get around town on foot, especially for out-of-towners. So local bike tour and rental company Yellow Bike has come up with a new campaign called Yellow Backie, where you can hitch a free ride with anyone riding around town with a yellow rack on their bike, and it seems like it is taking off. Hop on, and across the break for a closer look and a video about how to get in on the fun…
While Amsterdam is a haven for bikes and for tourists, the two don’t always mix so well. Tourists often struggle to get around the town where everyone is riding, and sometimes even have a hard time navigating the streets without getting run over. So enter Yellow Backie, and local cyclists who are willing to show a bit of their city to tourists can swap out their standard black rack to a yellow one, and start picking up visitors.
The people behind the movement say that it’s “a bit like Couchsurfing, on a bike.” It let’s locals show visitors around and get a bit of the true Dutch experience, where locals regularly give their friends a lift on the back of their racks. Tourists get to interact with locals and maybe see the city from a different perspective, and locals get the chance to meet new people visiting their city and share their stories. The movement is totally free, so no paying for rides; Just yell “Backie” to the next yellow rack-equipped bike you see, and they will slow down to let you hop on.
If you live in Amsterdam, then you most likely already have a bike. So check out Yellow Backie, get a yellow rack, help a tourist get around, and maybe you’ll meet some new friends. If you are going to visit Amsterdam, keep your eyes open for yellow racks, practice shouting “Backie” and hopping on the back of a bike, and you’ll get a unique view of the city.
