The shared system will comprise 7000 bikes and 924 rental stations
The Upper Silesian-Zagłębie Metropolis (GZM) in Poland is deploying a 7,000-strong fleet of Metrobikes by Nextbike, the third-largest bicycle system in Europe. The shared bike system, which will also comprise 924 rental stations, will encompass all 31 cities and municipalities forming the GZM.
In the summer of last year, the GZM selected the contractor which will launch and manage the Metropolitan Bicycle for the next five years. Due to its significant scale, the system will be implemented gradually. In the first stage, starting on February 25, 1,260 bicycles will be made available in eight cities. In the second stage, planned for the second half of 2024, the number of bicycles will increase to almost 4,800. In the final, third phase scheduled for next year, the number of bicycles will reach the target of 7,000, and cover the remaining cities and municipalities, GZM reports.
“The bicycle is the ideal transportation solution for the residents of the modern metropolis like GZM,” said Kazimierz Karolczak, the chairman of the GZM board. “Our bikes will be a part of our extensive transportation system. We don’t consider the Metrobike merely as a recreational vehicle, although it will excel in that role as well. It is an equal component of sustainable urban transport, alongside trams, buses, and trolleybuses. As befitting the first metropolis in Poland, we are constructing the first such large and technologically advanced urban transport system that respects the challenges and needs of the inhabitants of modern cities.”
The Metrobike system will be made up of fourth-generation bicycles, specifically SmartBike 2.0 models, equipped with GPS transmitters, eliminating the need to lock them to racks. Metrobike will provide its dedicated application, featuring chatbots for user support, and it will also be possible to rent bikes through the existing main Nextbike application, and eventually through the TransportGZM application.
Bicycles in Metrobike system, just like local buses, will be yellow to emphasise that they are an equivalent element of public transportation in the GZM area. Individuals with long-term tickets for public transportation will be able to use the Metrobike for free for 60 minutes every day. The bicycle can be used on a per-minute or subscription basis. In the future, the metropolis aims to fully integrate the bicycle system with the GZM application, allowing users to choose all forms of transportation from a single application in the spirit of mobility-as-a-service (MaaS).
