Cycle with Veturilo in Warsaw
It is possible to use Veturilo in the capital – an unattended bike rental system. The streets in downtown Warsaw, Ursynów and in Bielany are equipped with 55 stations with 1000 of available bikes. The system is an incentive to use such a healthy and ecological mode of transport for everyday work or school commuting. It may also help to reduce the number of cars on the streets of Warsaw.
The Veturilo system is being introduced in two stages. During the first stage, 55 bike rentals appeared: 31 in the city center, 13 in Ursynów and 11 in Bielany. As a part of this stage, 2 bike rentals will also be launched in Wilanów (for 24 bikes) until 15th August. 70 more stations will be launched in March the following year. Additional bike racks will appear in the city center and in Praga district. Altogether, starting from 2013, there will be at least 127 bike stations with 2124 of available bikes within the area of Warsaw.
The name of the system derives from Esperanto and means “vehicle, mode of transport”. It was chosen in a competition out of nearly a thousand suggestions.
The operator of the system is a consortium which consists of the following: Nextbike Polska Sp. z o.o., Nextbike GmbH and Mifa Mitteldeutsche Fahrradwerke AG. The operator was selected in a tender advertised by Zarząd Transportu Miejskiego. The contract with the consortium was signed by the ZTM Director Leszek Ruta in the presence of the Mayor of the Capital City of Warsaw, Ms. Hanna Gronkiewicz-Waltz in mid-May this year. The consortium will manage the system from November 2016 – and will receive a total amount of about PLN 19 million gross for this service.
Using the system is as easy as riding a bike. Each station consisting of one or a few bike racks will be equipped with a panel with keyboard, a reader and a screen. They will make it possible to rent and return a bike and register in the system. All the instructions will be available in four languages (Polish, English, German and Russian).
It is necessary to visit the www.veturilo.waw.pl website first, enter all the required data –including a phone number and a 6-digit PIN, accept the terms and pay a small entry fee. (PLN 10). After receiving the confirmation by e-mail to the selected e-mail address – the system is ready to use.
The system will identify a customer by a phone number and a PIN code. It will also be possible to rent a bike with the use of Warszawska Karta Miejska (Warsaw City Card) or student electronic card (ELS). It will be necessary to register either card – during the first or a subsequent rental by drawing the card near the reader after entering the mobile phone number or a PIN.
To rent a bike, one should press the “WYPOŻYCZ” button (in English: RENT) and follow the instructions displayed on the screen or call Helpline if in trouble (22 382 13 12). After conducting all the activities, a bike will be automatically released from electro lock. Additionally, a bike fastened with a cable lock should be unlocked with a 4-digit code for a combination lock.
We act similarly when we return the bike. We leave the bike at a bike rack, press the “ZWROT” button (in English: RETURN) and act according to the instructions displayed on the screen. If there is no space in the bike rack – fasten the bike with a cable lock (using a 4-digit code) to any bike rack ear or other bike and press the return button.
The first 20 minutes of the ride are free of charge. A ride from 21 minutes up to an hour costs PLN 1. The second hour costs PLN 3, the third one – PLN 5, and each subsequent hour – PLN 7.
The location of the Veturilo system
CITY CENTER
The Veturilo system is compatible with the Bemowo Bike system launched by the District Office of Bemowo. As a result, the Veturilo users may take advantage of 11 bike rentals functioning within the area of the district (located i.a. near the town hall and at the following loops: Stare Bemowo, Nowe Bemowo and at Połczyńska Street). Detailed information on the rentals in Bemowo as well as the pricelist may be found on the www.bemowobike.pl website.
Public bikes in European cities and other Polish cities:
Paris – 20 000 bikes
London – 6 000 bikes
Barcelona – 6 000 bikes
Vienna – 1 200 bikes
Riga – 140 bikes
Budapest– plans to launch the system in 2013
Wrocław – 300 bikes
Poznań – 80 bikes