Mobility The city of Zurich is funding a bike rental system 2.0
The city of Zurich is now co-financing the expansion of the "PubliBike AG" bike rental system: On Wednesday evening, the municipal council approved loans for an expansion of the network. It fell just short of the threshold that would have required a referendum.
10.07.2024, 23:00
SDA
A majority of the municipal council justified the city's participation in a private bike rental system with the desired offer: rental bikes should also be available in less densely populated districts and at an attractive rate in order to achieve a high level of use. The city council had already stated in its proposal that a comprehensive, high-quality service could not be operated profitably.
The municipal council approved several loans, which add up to almost CHF 20 million over a contract term of ten years, with 68 votes from the SP, Greens, AL and Mitte/EVP against 46 votes from the SVP, FDP and GLP.
The operator of the rental service - PubliBike AG was once again awarded the contract - will receive a one-off contribution of CHF 6.3 million for "Velo Züri 2.0" as well as an annual operating contribution of CHF 972,000 to expand the network by 100 to 250 locations with 2,500 bikes and e-bikes. In addition, the city pays CHF 308,000 a year so that city employees can use the rental bikes instead of the old company bikes.
The city council had also applied for a maximum variant to expand "Velo Züri 2.0" by a further 50 stations if necessary. This variant, which would have required a referendum, was rejected by the municipal council.
The "Züri Velo" bike rental system, which is licensed by the city, began operating in 2018: The "PubliBike" company, originally founded by PostBus and SBB, offers bikes at 154 fixed stations. It financed the service itself, with the city of Zurich providing the parking spaces free of charge.
