In less than three years, Cruizador has grown into Switzerland’s largest motorcycle rental platform. cruizador ecosystem virtuous circle

When we first designed our project, we decided to put the stakeholders in the center of the ecosystem. However, our ambitions are much bigger and Cruizador wants to generate value for the entire biker community and society as a whole. But let’s look at how Cruizador, through a virtuous circle, ambitions to reach these goals.

To sum it up for our busy readers

• Bike owners: my motorcycle keeps running. When rented out, it is insured by Cruizador. With each rental I offset part of my fixed costs. And from 13 rentals per year, my bike does not cost me anything and I even start to generate a net income.
• Bike renters: I can book a motorcycle on the largest digital catalog in Switzerland, in a few clicks. A single platform allows me to compare the motorcycles available in my region, prices, availability, etc. All this from the comfort of my smartphone or computer! BROWSE-BOOK-RIDE
• Dealerships/brands: as a dealer, I benefit from a top-notch IT infrastructure, with no registration fees. On Cruizador, I promote my fleet of vehicles, while delegating digital marketing and promotion. Brands can reach a large audience of qualified bikers, who are moreover trilingual.
• Bikers’ community: on Cruizador, I find quality articles, practical/technical guides, buying guides, tour/itineraries, unusual places, etc.
• Insurance companies: by allowing their policyholders to rent their vehicles on an occasional basis, they give them the opportunity to reduce the burden of the insurance premium on their finances. In addition, they position themselves as actors of the ecological transition by becoming a part of the sharing economy.
  
• Tourism industry: on Cruizador, I can promote my region, position myself as a “biker friendly” destination and attract new customers with strong economic potential.
• Society in broader sense: motorbike riding has positive externalities too, in particular in the traffic thinning or the reduction of parking areas in city centers. Cruizador is also committed to the promotion of electric vehicles and allows its users to offset their CO2 emissions.c

cruizador ecosystem virtuous circle

Now in details for the interested readers

Bike owners

Owning a motorcycle, whether you ride it or not, means paying for insurance, cantonal tax, maintenance costs and often a garage to protect it from theft/vagaries of the climate … In addition, these costs are irreducible and the motorcycle season is short in Switzerland, from April to September roughly.

Therefore, a motorcycle is rarely a primary means of transport but rather a leisure vehicle. A bike is a luxury good for the owners. They are able to pay for it in the name of their passion, but often at the price of concessions in their daily lives.

The consultancy Oliver Wyman conducted a study on the digital revolution (here). In this study, the authors estimate that sharing saves 90% of the ownership costs of a vehicle.

And thanks to Cruizador, owners can offset a big part if not the entirety of these costs. According to our case study, if their bikes are rented out 13 days over the year, bike owners will pay off all their motorcycle related fixed costs.

And beyond this threshold, their motorcycle can even bring them a net income. You don’t believe us? Have a look at our case study, based on a BMW R-Nine-T (here).

And a bike owner with more purchasing power can buy a more expensive vehicle, maintain it regularly at their dealership, afford accessories, etc.

cruizador ecosystem virtuous circle

Bike renters

We can estimate that there are more than 1.5 million motorbike riders in Switzerland (source: cantonal DMVs).

This figure rises to 3.9 million if we consider also A-limited licenses. And this figure increases even more if we include tourists, non-residents/ expats, etc.

However, the total motorcycle fleet only includes 511,000 motorcycles in Switzerland (source: MotoSuisse here).

As a result, more than two in three Swiss bikers do not own a motorcycle.

Some had to part ways with their bike for financial, family or professional reasons. But the urge to ride never goes away. And why shouldn’t they rent a bike from time to time when the mood strikes? Or why shouldn’t they rent a different type motorbike if needed? Renting seems like a valid option, instead of buying a second bike.

Until now, the booking process was not digitalized, which meant a waste of time for prospects. They had to call the garages, enquire about availability, compare prices, etc.

Thanks to Cruizador, bikers wishing to rent a motorcycle can, with a few clicks, benchmark the existing offer, inquire about availability and see prices, in complete transparency. cruizador ecosystem virtuous circle

This ease of use and time saving made it possible to bring back in the community bike riders who had left the motorcycle ecosystem because of the lack of a matching offer.

Dealerships and brands

Many dealers already offer a rental service with their demo vehicles for example. However, as the reservation process was not digitalized, this meant also a waste of time for the garage (paper work a.o.).

Cruizador offers them a fully digitalized booking process thanks to a top-notch IT platform. And all this without registration fees and above all without development fees.

Some brands have also seen their sales erode over the past ten years. Also, why not compensate with a professional rental service?

In addition, Cruizador takes care of the promotion and digital marketing. You want to know more about how Cruizador generates added value for dealers. Check out our case study here.

As for the manufacturers/OEMs, Cruizador gives them access to a channel to communicate, in a privileged way, with a large audience of qualified bikers. It is a unique opportunity to come into contact with an community of passionate bikers, which is trilingual (EN/FR/DE).

cruizador ecosystem virtuous circle

Insurance companies

By allowing their policyholders to rent their vehicles on an occasional basis,

they give them the opportunity to offset their fixed costs and reduce the burden of the insurance premium on their finances.

Motorcycling is an expensive hobby. But by limiting the impact of fixed costs on the budget of Swiss households, insurers can keep a maximum number of vehicles registered, which allows them to retain a large customer base.
In addition, they are positioning themselves as players in the ecological transition and becoming part of the circular economy and the sharing economy.

Bikers’ Community

Cruizador’s ambition is to gather people who share the same passion! Also, we regularly publish articles on and around motorbike riding, such as buying advice, e.g. the best navigation tools (here), technical advice, e.g. how to winterize your motorbike (here), reading tips (here) or road-books.

In short, whether you are on riding your bike or just need a piece of advice, you will find what you are looking for on our blog.

Tourism industry

In 2023, Switzerland recorded 48+ Mio overnight stays from April to September, i.e. during the motorcycle season (Source: OFS). In addition, we estimate the biker population in Europe to be over 10 million members.

If we consider only Switzerland, the biker community can be estimated at 1.5 million members, which corresponds to one in three adults, aged 20 to 64. And each year, more than 50,000 student permits are issued (source: cantonal DMVs).

The biker community is therefore expanding rapidly. But it has often been overlooked by the tourism industry, while bikers represent a clientele with a high economic potential.

Indeed, they like to travel and discover new regions, often in the off-season, when there are fewer people on the roads. And on top, they have a higher purchasing power on average than other tourist categories.

Cruizador represents, here too, a privileged communication channel. By promoting your region as a “biker friendly” destination, you can encourage this new clientele to come and discover your roads and landscapes, as well as take advantage of the tourist offer in your region. More info here

cruizador ecosystem virtuous circle

Society in a broader sense

Motorbike riding certainly has an ecological impact, even more so for motorcycles with petrol engines.

However, some positive externalities should not be overlooked, in particular in the traffic thinning in urban areas and the reduction of parking spaces in the city center.

For ten years or so, the first electric motorcycles and scooters have been available on the market. The potential of these vehicles is great, especially for those who commute a lot. However, the upfront investment can be a drag on buying. Indeed, a performant electric motorcycle costs 20’000+ CHF.

In addition, the driving experience is radically different, between an electric and a petrol engine motorcycle. So, many riders are tickled by the idea of trying these new vehicles. On Cruizador, since 2021, they can rent electric motorcycles for one day or longer.

And we are convinced that a period of testing in real conditions, will convince some hesitant bikers. In short Cruizador wants to allow as many people as possible to test these new vehicles to see if they meet their needs or not.

And for all of those who will stick to petrol engine, Cruizador is implementing a pilot project to allow users to offset their CO2 emissions. First it will be available on a voluntary basis but gradually included in every rental made over our platform. Want to discover more on how we want to implement that? Read the article  -> here <- 

Enjoying life whilst limiting your carbon footprint at the same time? Isn’t life beautiful?