Gallery: Bicycle Rental & Free Bike Schemes
Bicycle sharing systems, also known as: Community Bicycle program, Yellow Bicycle programs, White Bicycle programs, public bike, CityBike, "Call a Bike", "Boris Bikes" (in London: Details of the scheme and registration: http://iitm.be/tflbikes) or free bike. There also was a 'Green Bike' scheme in Cambridge in 1993. The first successful mobile positioning based scheme (no need for docking stations) was "call-a-bike" in Munich in 2000. "call-a-bike" has now 430,000 subscribers, who can unlock bikes in most larger German cities from their mobile phone.
See also:
http://www.camcycle.org.uk/newsletters/63/article14.html Velov Scheme in Lyon
This gallery was created on Thursday, 8th October 2009
Fixed docking station for Call-a-bike bicycle hire at Rostock ICE railway station. Location: Gragetopshof, Gemeinde Papendorf (Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, Germany)
The German DB Call a Bike hire bike scheme is centrally run for all large cities and in several ways the opposite to Boris Bikes in London: - the scheme does not use docking stations - bikes come with locks - users locate the nearest ava ... [more]
The German DB Call a Bike hire bike scheme is centrally run for all large cities and in several ways the opposite to Boris Bikes in London: - the scheme does not use docking stations - bikes come with locks - users locate the nearest ava ... [more]
The German DB Call a Bike hire bike scheme is in several ways the antidote to Boris Bikes in London: - the scheme does not use docking stations - bikes come with locks - users locate the nearest available bike through their mobile phone ... [more]
DB Call a Bike hire bikes are dotted all around Cologne (and other German cities). There are no docking stations. The bike is released through a phone call or SMS and can be dropped off anywhere in town. The scheme is in many ways the oppo ... [more]
You can "hire a pair of wheels" on countless spots in most larger German cities. Here a DB "Call a Bike" right in front of Cologne Cathedral, to be unlocked by a phone call.
DB call a bike, bicycle rental scheme at Bremen Main Train Station (Hauptbahnhof). From 6 cent/minute. Maximum €9 /day, see www.callabike.de.
DB Call a Bike, DB bicycle rental scheme at Bremen Main Train Station (Hauptbahnhof): www.callabike.de. Call number on the bike lock to receive unlocking code. Return CallBike to a Bike-Station, lock in. Take receipt code from the lock, cal ... [more]
Rental bicycles covered in snow at Bremen Railway Station. These hire bikes are docked and available year 'round.
Interesting German Railways rental bike outside a Munich museum - not certain which one! Munich introduced the first GSM based (no need for docking stations) "call-a-bike" scheme in 2000.
Electric tricycle parked by the "Call-a-bike" hire bike docking-station at Oldenburg's main railway station. Location: Oldenburg (Lower Saxony, Germany)
Call a Bike and StadtRAD 2011 price list for the bike sharing system of DB Rent GmbH. The phone location based "call-a-bike" was introduced in 2000. Subscribers can unlock the bikes through a phone call in most larger German cities.
OLi charges (through the Nextbike app) just €1 for the first 29min, which gets you to most places in the city of Oldenburg. Kreyenbrück (Klinikum, Medizinisch Technischer Campus and CEWE AG) is not yet covered.
Sign for "Paddel- und Pedalstation" boat and bike rental in Ditzum on the Dollard. Location: Ditzum (Lower Saxony, Germany)
Paris has made a major investment in hire bikes. They seem to have forgotten to paint them green though, and you need to pay before using them...
Rail strike in Paris - not a single Vélib bike available (the saddle turned backwards indicates that this one is defective).
Another full Velib stand near the Bastille in Paris, with a cycle track in the foreground, and across the road the Maison Roue Libre, a city/RATP cycle rental project.
Instructions on a typical French rental bike (here in Aix-en-Provence). All instructions on the bike, the stand and the screens were in French only. (Click onto the picture to zoom in and read.)
Dijon's cycle rental scheme (VéloDi) is slightly different to most other in France, with bikes being dropped into a dock.
Dijon's cycle rental scheme (VéloDi) is slightly different to most other in France, with bikes being dropped into a dock. Beyond are motorbike spaces and some rather unfriendly-looking bike stands.
Most major French cities now have a Vélib-style cycle hire system - this one is in Aix-en-Provence. It's called V'hello - a pun on vélo (bike).
Free Bycyklen (by - town, cyklen - bicycle) which works with a 20 kr coin like a shopping trolley. Each of these basic bikes has a map with the points where to return the bike.
Free bicycle scheme in Århus, Denmark. These cheap and colourful bikes can be used within town with a 20 Kr deposit coin like a shopping trolley.
Free bicycle scheme in Aarhus (Århus Bycykel), Denmark. These cheap and colourful bikes can be used within town with a DKK 20 coin like a shopping trolley. The bikes are meant for short rides and can be returned at different sites.
These cheap and colourful bikes can be used within town with a DKK 20 coin like a shopping trolley. The bikes are meant for short rides and can be returned at different sites indicated on this map. See also www.aarhusbycykel.dk
Free bicycle scheme in Aarhus (Århus Bycykel; "by" means "city"), Denmark. These cheap and colourful bikes can be used within town with a DKK 20 coin like a shopping trolley. The bikes are meant for short city (by) rides and can be returne ... [more]
The annoying thing about the city cycle hire schemes is that sometimes you want to dump the bike but all the spaces are filled - as this man found out. Behind the camera are loads of normal parking spaces available, see #32447. I think t ... [more]
Bari also has a Velib'-style bike hire scheme - but there are just five stations with ten bikes each, and you have to become a member beforehand.
Unusually, bikes used for the Bari public hire scheme have derailleur gears - hub gears would be more robust.
Dijon's cycle rental scheme (VéloDi) is slightly different to most other in France, with bikes being dropped into a dock. Beyond are motorbike spaces and some rather unfriendly-looking cycle stands.
Many French cities boast bicycle renting schemes. They seem to be well accepted and work well. The bicycles are sturdy (heavy) and don't go far but are properly equipped and very robust.
A project originating from Cambridge Cycling Campaign // Hosting kindly helped by Mythic Beasts
Short link: https://cycle.st/g104
- About:
- Local Authorities:
- Link to us:
- Developers:
- Get involved:
- Mobile: