The Metrobicycle has started. The system of city bicycles rental stations, the biggest in Poland, and the third in Europe, is already available

Originally, 1260 bikes were to be available in seven cities in phase I, but we have managed to accelerate a part of the implementation work. The new system is already available to residents of eight cities: Katowice, Sosnowiec, Tychy, Gliwice, Zabrze, Chorzów, Siemianowice Śląskie, and Czeladź. The system will ultimately comprise 7 thousand single-track vehicles and 924 stations in 31 municipalities.

 – The Upper Silesian-Zagłębie Metropolis is the biggest metropolis in this part of Europe. We are a kind of city of cities, which on the one hand allows the cities and municipalities to preserve their identity, and on the other hand to build effects of synergy there, where the boundaries seem unnecessary. The Metrobicycle perfectly implements these assumptions – says Mr Kazimierz Karolczak – the President of the GZM Management Board.

– The start of the city bikes system, the biggest in Poland, is a milestone for us. It supplements the existing Transport GZM system. Among other things, it realises the ‘last mile’ idea. This investment project will not only enable the residents to move more conveniently through the city but will also have a positive impact on the development of local economy and tourism. I do believe that the Metrobicycle, with its scale and innovations, will provide inspiration for other cities in Poland and in Europe – adds Mr Karolczak.

The fourth generation bicycles, equipped with GPS transmitters, are waiting for the Metrobicycle users. This means that it will not be necessary to fix them to the stands, and the system will allow to move freely between municipalities and to leave the bike in another municipality.

We accelerate

According to the original plans, in phase II the number of bikes was to increase to nearly 4,800, and in phase III to the target 7,000. Although the plans assumed a longer time of waiting for the next phases, everything will happen faster than planned. On the 23^rd of February, the GZM Assembly passed a resolution, which will enable the implementation of Metrobicycle phases II and III to be accelerated to the turn of July and August this year.

– As a result of operational perfection of Nextbike technical teams, already in summer this year we will start a fully functional system of the Metrobicycle with 7,000 bikes, accelerating the implementation by more than 12 months as against the original contract with the GZM. Such a system has a real opportunity to generate within a year as many as a dozen or so million rentals, becoming a great power in the transformation of Polish urban mobility. Let us take an example of Warsaw, which having 3,000 bikes for1.76 million residents in the 2023 season recorded approx. 5 million rentals. The GZM, with the population exceeding 2 million, seems to be a place of much higher potential. I am deeply convinced that the effective implementation of this project will bring numerous benefits to the residents of the entire GZM metropolis, becoming a crucial element in the improvement in the quality of life and mobility in this region – comments Mr Tomasz Wojtkiewicz, CEO, Nextbike group.

One hour free for the Transport GZM passengers

The Metrobicycle appeared already in the tariff, as an element of the Transport GZM, being the only such solution in Poland. Each passenger holding a medium-term or long-term ticket, from 24-hour to 180-day tickets, and the holders of the entitlement to free travelling, confirmed in the Transport GZM system, will be able to use the Metrobicycle for free, 60 minutes a day.

The other users will pay PLN 1 for half an hour, and PLN 2.50 for an hour. The rate will be increasing with a longer period. It will also be possible to buy annual, semi-annual, and monthly subscriptions. The bikes may be rented from the level of dedicated Metrorower (Metrobicycle) application, developed by the Nextbike. It allows the user not only to easily find the nearest station or bike, but also to check the number of burnt calories or the reduced carbon footprint. In the future, the bicycles will also be available in the Transport GZM application.

The map, detailed instructions, and the price list may be found on the Metrobicycle website: www.metrorower.transportgzm.pl

Towards the transport of the future

The investments made by the GZM, in the bicycle transport as well as in the railway transport and urban transport, integrate with the targets of the plan for sustainable urban mobility, which is a strategic transport document in the GZM. The plan envisages taking actions, which will encourage residents to change the cars into more sustainable forms of transport. The reduction of car traffic in GZM cities and municipalities, and also an improvement in the residents’ quality of life is to be the effect. Moreover, the actions integrating various forms of transport in the GZM integrate with the increasingly popular concept of mobility as a service (MaaS). Such an approach to the public transport is already under implementation in Asia, but also closer to us, in Sweden, The Netherlands, or Belgium. The most recent study on mobility of the Juniper company anticipates that the number of users of integrated services of MaaS type will grow by 326% till 2028.