Bikes take over the city: learn about the different rental options offered by large Spanish cities
It doesn't take a genius to realize that Bicycles are a growing trend in the big cities of our country. Whether for simple fashion or posturing, for imitation (welcome...) of what has happened in the rest of Europe over the last few years, or as an efficient (and ecological) solution to mobility problems in the city, he urban cycling It is a palpable reality.
And as such, public administrations, that is, the city councils of the main Spanish cities have taken action on the matter, with greater or lesser success, establishing different public bicycle rental services. We are going to review the most notable ones, but not before remembering that Of the nearly 130 public bike systems that were installed in Spain, practically half have disappeared (according to data from the Public Bicycle Observatory in Spain).
And the fact is that, five or six years ago, it was difficult to find a town, with more than 20.000 inhabitants, that did not boast a public bicycle rental system. But Time, logic... and municipal budgets have ended up making a natural selection of public rental services, among which we wanted to highlight the following.
Valenbisi: The Valencian bicycle rental service began operating in 2010 and has a total of 2.750 bicycles, distributed in 275 stations, located in different parts of the city. To use a bicycle, simply bring the subscription card to the service access terminal, enter the PIN code and pick up the chosen bicycle. Once the journey is finished, it is only necessary to bring the bicycle to the available anchoring point. And the truth is that the system is a complete success, something that is undoubtedly contributed to by the favorable terrain and good climate of the capital of Turia, which invites you to explore it by bicycle.
Bicing: The public bicycle rental system in the Catalan capital was one of the pioneers, back in 2007, to start operating in our country. 6.000 bicycles and 420 stations make it up, also making room for electric bicycles in some of them. An alternative highly valued by users, especially taking into account the steep slopes that we can find in Barcelona, as we approach the interior. It also works through subscriptions, which are easy to obtain and easy to use. Due to high demand, if the station is full when you drop off your bike, you can get 10 min. extra at no cost by passing the card through the reader.
Us: just one year after Barcelona, Zaragoza also joined the list of cities with a public bicycle rental service, with the capital city being one of the cities that is most promoting the use of this vehicle (both public and private) and establishing a large number of bike lanes on its streets. Bizi Zaragoza also works with a subscriber card and is understood as a means of transport to get from one point to another. For this reason, the first thirty minutes of each journey are included in the subscriber rate.
Sevici: At the same time as Barcelona, Seville created its public bicycle rental system in 2007, since then occupying the top positions of the most bike-friendly cities, not only in Spain, but even in Europe. 2.500 mixed bicycles (with electric assistance) and 250 stations make up one of the most successful systems in our geography, greatly favored by the absence of large slopes in the city and a magnificent climate throughout the year. The possibility of contracting civil liability and accident insurance is offered at the time of requesting the subscriptions, for whatever may happen...
Bicimad: The long-awaited, as well as controversial, public bicycle rental system in Madrid arrived in 2014 to contradict all those who predicted its failure, using the argument that Madrid is not a city for bikes. And, despite the initial difficulties and failures, and the fact that its management has recently passed directly to the Madrid City Council, Bicimad has revolutionized the capital's road traffic, providing a sustainable mobility alternative that many already defended... but few practiced. 2.028 bicycles and 165 stations are its numbers, figures that do not stop growing, just like its users. One of the keys to success, without a doubt, is the electric bicycle used, a necessary condition to bring this service to the greatest possible number of citizens, given the complicated terrain of Madrid and the complex nature of vehicle traffic in the city.
Author: Víctor Marcos, Communication and RRSS Bikefriendly
