[NEWS] BSC: rental system network for bikes

Regional Development Agency of Gorenjska, BSC, Ltd, Kranj has within the Local Action Group (LAG) project the Cycling Chain in Rural Areas expanded the existing network of automated bike rental system in Gorenjska.

In the project Cycling Chain in Rural Areas, the Gorenjska košarica LAG area is acquiring four new stops, two each in the municipalities of Naklo and Cerklje na Gorenjskem. Each of the four stations offers a rental of two electric bikes and three conventional bikes. Gorenjska.bike is still the only inter-municipal bicycle rental system in Slovenia. It was established within the project Speed by bike and initially connected five Gorenjska municipalities. This year, as part of the cooperation project Cycling Chain in Rural Areas, the municipality of Cerklje na Gorenjskem in the area of the LAG Gorenjska basket and Škofja Loka from the area of the LAG of the Loka Mountains is also included in the system. In the area of 14 Gorenjska municipalities, covered by the Gorenjska basket LAG, the rental of ordinary and electric bicycles will be possible this year at 47 stops. There are 55 stops in the entire Gorenjska region: City municipality of Kranj has 29 stops, municipalities: Jesenice 6, Radovljica 5, Tržič 3, Naklo 3, Škofja Loka 8, Cerklje na Gorenjskem 2.

In the Gorenjska network system there are currently around 178 conventional bicycles, 148 electric bicycles, 2 three wheel –cycles, in total 328 bicycles, out of which 10 are not yet operational.

The system is available for Slovenian residence, not to be a competition to conventional bike rentals for tourists. Monthly and annual packages are still available to new and existing users at unchanged promotional prices, i.e. with a 50% discount. The price of the annual package for an ordinary bicycle is 12.5 EUR, and for an electric bicycle 25 EUR, while for a monthly package one needs to pay 5 or 10 EUR. Users who have an e-bike rental package can also rent ordinary bicycles.The user can rent a bike by the use of application mobiln.si.

In addition to the mentioned investments in the equipment of four new stops, the project also includes numerous other activities that connect more than 20 Slovenian municipalities from the areas of 11 local action groups. A study of the positive effects of this operation (project) was prepared for the entire project partnership. The rental stops, which have a uniform graphic image, will be introduced to users during promotional events with the presentation of the rental system that will follow in the coming months. In the autumn, during the European Mobility Week, an all-day event of an entertaining and informative nature will be organized for the entire partnership.

The Cycling Chain in Rural Areas cooperation project is partly funded by the European Union from the European Agricultural Fund for Rural Development (EAFRD), CLLD approach - implementation of community-led local development in the 2014-2020 programming period.