HELSINKI--(BUSINESS WIRE)--During the last season, which ended at the end of October, city bikers set new records in the Helsinki region
On the busiest days, each city bike was used for 14-16 journeys on average in Helsinki. Approximately nine journeys were made per bike every day in Helsinki, and approximately three journeys per bike in Espoo. In total, the city bikes were used to pedal over three million journeys.
There were 254 bike stations and 2,550 bikes in Helsinki and Espoo. About 48,500 users registered for the full season, and there were about 6,300 weekly pass users and approx. 15,000 day pass users.
In Helsinki, the utilization rate is high in comparison to other cities worldwide, with approximately 9 journeys per bike every day. In other parts of the world, each bike is usually used for approximately four journeys per day.
According to HSL’s Senior Advisor Tarja Jääskeläinen, one of the reasons for the popularity of the city bikes is that they are so easy to use:
“You can get around quickly on a city bike; it is easy to pick up and drop off spontaneously. The bike service is part of the public transport system, and the bikes are located close to where people live and work.”
The city bikes are also an easy mode of transport for tourists, but they are particularly aimed at the local residents.
“The city bike has become part of the local identity. Traveling by city bike is convenient, and it is good for your health and the environment.”
The users of the city bikes are fairly satisfied with the service. In a user survey, the service was rated 3.8 on a scale of 1 to 5, where 1 was bad and 5 was excellent. The question on how reasonable the fees are received the highest score of 4.4. The poorest score, 3.0, was given to bike availability.
In the survey, 79% of city bikers said that they use the bikes for leisure journeys, 56% use them for commuting, and 55% use them for running errands.
The city bikes have particularly replaced journeys made by foot, tram and bus, but up to 17% state that they have also replaced car journeys with city bikes.
Next year, the city bike service will be extended to East and North Helsinki. The city will get 88 new bike stations and 880 new bikes. The extension of the network will enable the service to better cater to large numbers of users also in central Helsinki.
In Espoo, the service will continue at its current size.
The next city bike season will start in Helsinki and Espoo on 1 April 2019.
