Traffic - City bike rentals in Hamburg down by 11 percent
The red bikes in Hamburg's "Stadtrad" rental system were used less in 2023 than in the previous year. By mid-December, 1.6 million journeys had been counted, according to a spokesperson for the operator Deutsche Bahn (DB). In 2022, the bikes had been rented for just under 1.8 million journeys. The reason for the decline of around 11 percent is presumably the changeable summer.
Hamburg residents have been able to rent city bikes since 2009. According to Deutsche Bahn, 240,000 people are registered in the app that is required for this. This does not include visitors from other cities who are registered with a DB rental system there. They can also use it to rent the city bikes.
The rental bikes are particularly popular with tourists, the railroad spokeswoman continued. Tourism only returned to pre-corona demand a few months ago, which has also had an impact on the development of rentals in recent months and years. In addition, many users also worked from home more frequently after the coronavirus pandemic or bought their own bike during the pandemic.
E-scooters have also been competing with rental bikes for short journeys since 2019. According to the city, there are currently four providers in Hamburg: Bolt, Lime, Tier and Voi. The transport authority estimates that together they provide around 18,000 scooters. The companies are now also expanding their range of e-bikes. Unlike city bikes, scooters and e-bikes do not have to be returned to fixed stations.
When asked, the providers stated that the average trip length with the e-scooters is between 1.7 and 3 kilometers. According to a Voi spokesperson, the vehicles are particularly popular for getting to bus or train stops. 2023 was the provider's most successful year in Hamburg to date: the number of journeys rose from 3.4 million in 2022 to 3.9 million this year. A Bolt spokesperson reported stable rental figures in 2022 and 2023, adding that around five million kilometers were driven with the e-scooters and e-bikes in Hamburg this year. When asked, Tier and Lime did not provide any information on the demand for their scooters.
The rail company also wants to further expand its city bike service for the journey to public transport stops. "We want to integrate the bicycle as an environmentally friendly means of transport into everyday mobility and strengthen the link between cycling and public transport," emphasized the spokesperson. There is still demand for city bike stations at new locations. 20 new stations are currently planned, with a focus on the districts of Harburg and Altona.
Information on the Stadtrad overview of e-scooters in Hamburg
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- The decrease in city bike usage in Hamburg's DB rental system during the turn of the year could potentially impact the overall traffic in the city.
- Hamburg's DB rental system is not the only option for tourists looking to rent bikes, as they can also utilize DB rental systems in their home cities.
- The popularity of e-scooters in Hamburg, such as those provided by Bolt, Lime, Tier, and Voi, has been a challenge for traditional city bike rentals like DB's.
- The German railroad, Deutsche Bahn (DB), aims to strengthen the link between cycling and public transport by expanding its city bike service at new locations, like Harburg and Altona.
- E-scooters like those offered in Hamburg have become a preferred mode of transportation for short journeys to bus or train stops, contributing to a significant increase in trips in 2023.
Source: www.stern.de
