With the rapidly growing number of tourists that visit Amsterdam every year negative attention in the media arises. Bicycle rental company Yellow Bike is convinced that tourists are valuable for the city and therefore decided to turn it into something positive. They introduce Yellow Backie: couch surfing on a bike in Amsterdam. Inspired by the famous Dutch custom of riding on the luggage rack of a friend’s bike. With the intention of bringing tourists and locals together.

So here is how it works. All Amsterdam’s bike owners can swap their luggage rack for a free yellow one at a Yellow Bike shop. This way they invite tourists for a ride along trough the city. Travelers get to see parts of Amsterdam they might never will otherwise, for locals it’s chance to meet people from all over the world.

Joining the Yellow Backie concept doesn’t involve many rules. Locals don’t always have to stop for potential passengers, only if they feel like it and have the time. The locals do have a certain responsibility towards the tourists. That’s why Yellow Bike asks new Backie drivers to motivate their application. Which they received many of since starting the promotion of Yellow Backie.