On the front page of Monday’s Volkskrant Edwin Renzen, director of Stint Urban Mobility, announced the bankruptcy of his company. Minister Cora van Nieuwenhuizen (Infrastructure and Water Management) on October 1 issued a prohibition to use the Stint on the public road and since that date his company has not earned any more income, Renzen explains.

After the fatal accident with A Stint in Oss, Professor Maarten Steinbuch met up with the Stint director to discuss the matter, along with TU/e Professor Ruth Oldenziel. “In a later stage we put the company into contact with expert scientists from the University of Twente. We also tried to mediate with the Ministry and with TNO research institute, which was commissioned by the Minister to conduct an investigation into the technical aspects and safety of the vehicle.”

Accelerate

The completion of that investigation is not expected until the end of this calendar year. Is that not very, very late, all the more so because the company has now been forced to petition for bankruptcy? Steinbuch: “It also find it saddening that it has had to come to this and I think it is socially relevant that that investigation should be accelerated."

Steinbuch thinks it will not take very expensive or quite complicated adjustments to make the Stint safe. Earlier he already suggested installing a so-called ‘dead man’s switch’, which can stop the vehicle all at once. Restarting the company seems a very plausible scenario to him. “It would be a pity if such a fine technical product, which is of vital importance to day care centers, could not be used anymore at all.”

On November 1 the court has to decide whether the prohibition issued by Minister Van Nieuwenhuizen will be upheld. 

On Monday October 29 Stint director Renzen first told the full story in Pauw’s talk show. You can watch that episode here.