Call a bike

from Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Call a Bike is a bike rental system operated by the Deutsche Bahn subsidiary Deutsche Bahn Connect in various German cities . The system exists in different versions; it does not work on the same principle at every location. However, once registered customers can rent bicycles in any city, subject to the applicable conditions.

Call a Bike claims to be the market leader in Germany. In summer 2012, 430,000 registered users had access to around 7,000 bikes. In 2014, customers covered 13.4 million kilometers on the 8,500 rental bikes. At the beginning of 2015, the program counted 700,000 registered participants.

founding

Call a Bike was founded by Christian Hogl and Josef Gundel. The former borrowed around 100,000 German marks from relatives around 1997 , before the latter received support from a manager he knew in looking for loans amounting to several million to build up the company.

Locations

The Call-a-Bike system can be divided into two types of availability, on the one hand in a city-wide availability and on the other hand in one that is only available at the train station and must be returned there.

The bikes are available throughout the city in the following cities: Cologne , Stuttgart , Munich , Frankfurt am Main , Marburg, Hamburg and Lüneburg (both StadtRAD Hamburg ), Berlin , Wiesbaden , Darmstadt , Kassel and Düsseldorf . The system existed in Karlsruhe from 2007 until the end of 2013.

In the following cities, bikes can only be rented and returned at the ICE train station: Aachen , Aschaffenburg , Augsburg , Baden-Baden , Bamberg , Bremen , Bonn , Bielefeld , Braunschweig , Dortmund , Erlangen , Freiburg im Breisgau , Flensburg , Fulda , Garmisch -Partenkirchen , Gütersloh , Gotha , Göttingen , Hamm , Halle (Saale) , Hanau , Hanover , Heidelberg , Hildesheim , Ingolstadt , Kaiserslautern , Lübeck , Magdeburg , Mainz , Mannheim , Minden , Oberhausen , Oldenburg , Passau , Rostock , Saarbrücken , Waren , Warnemünde , Weimar , Wolfsburg and Würzburg . Darmstadt and Wiesbaden were also part of it until spring 2014 . Since then, there has been a cooperation with the general student committees of the Technical University of Darmstadt , the RheinMain University of Applied Sciences in Wiesbaden and Rüsselsheim and the Philipps University of Marburg . Since the beginning of the 2014 summer semester, up to 20 stations and 105 bikes have been made available in the respective cities.

Most of the Call a Bike bikes were available in Munich in 2011. The 1,200 bikes there were used for 135,000 driving hours.

Types of Call a Bike

Call a bike flex

Call-a-bike bike

Call a bike flex is currently only offered in Munich and Berlin ( LIDL-Bike ) (before March 2018 in Cologne and Frankfurt am Main ). This telephone-based system for renting bicycles was developed in 1998 by the computer scientist and entrepreneur Christian Hogl and first launched on the market in 2000 in Munich. After the business operations were taken over by DB Rent, it was also introduced in other German cities. It is offered from mid-March to mid-December.

Characteristic of Call a Bike flex are everywhere in the central city area fileformat bicycles special lock that rented via telephone call and within the city center at any intersection can be returned. In this way, Call a Bike complements local public transport . The use is particularly suitable for one-way trips or in unfamiliar cities where you don't have your own bike or car with you, or at times when public transport is no longer available. In order to strengthen the supplementary function to the public transport offer, there are cheaper tariffs for public transport users.

Since spring 2008, a flat rate has also been offered to use the bikes. For 48 euros a year you can use the bike for the first half hour, as with most foreign bike-sharing providers, without a minute fee. Then you either have to return the bike and use the same bike after a blocking period of five minutes, find a new bike and borrow it or pay the regular minute rate. For customers with a BahnCard , the flat rate is also available at a reduced price of 36 euros.

There are various options for finding a free bicycle near your own location: searching at locations that are preferably supplied or locating via location-based services of a cellular phone. Telephone information about the next available bike is no longer available. In 2008, the ability to find bikes on the Internet using non-mobile access devices was improved. After entering the location address, the nearest bikes are displayed on a city map. The number of bicycles available in the cities varies depending on their size (for example there were 350 in Karlsruhe). The bike costs around 700 euros without an electronic lock.

The system requires potential users to register once in order to be able to collect the usage tariff. When calling for a rental, the number of the respective bike and, if no phone number has been stored and / or the number suppression is activated, the customer number is passed on.

The tenant then receives a numerical code with which the lock can then be unlocked. When you cancel by telephone, you will receive an additional numerical code, with the entry of which the chargeable rental period ends. The lock can then only be opened again after logging in again.

The rental bicycles are equipped to a comparatively high quality, for example with suspension fork , roller brakes , 7-gear shift and luggage rack . The use of bicycles is billed at a minute price of eight cents, which is capped at a maximum of 15 euros or 9 euros for BahnCard holders per day and bike. In addition, a weekly price of 45 euros (BahnCard holders) or 60 euros (other customers) is offered. Since the railway does not accept external advertising on its bicycles, "free half-hours" are only possible with additional payment from the city administration or the annual flat rate, as is the case with similar systems abroad.

The comparison makes it clear that the offer is intended to serve both tourists and residents of the city. So it is a combination model of conventional and new bike rental.

In 2008, the railway began to supplement regular rental bicycles, which can be borrowed at the train stations, with call bikes in cities such as Hamburg, Bonn, Düsseldorf and Braunschweig. However, these call bikes can only be returned at the same location, the train station, as no inner city zones or other return points have been identified. Thus, they are less suitable for everyday cyclists than for tourists.

Call a Bike fix / StadtRAD

Call-a-Bike-fix-Station in Stuttgart
StadtRAD Hamburg station

In June 2007 the Call-a-Bike-fix system was introduced in Stuttgart , with which the customer can now rent and return around 400 bicycles from around 633 parking spaces at 64 fixed stations. The first half hour of use is free of charge. Then billed every minute, six to eight cents per minute depending on the tariff. The city sponsors standard bicycles annually with 110,000 euros and according to the Stuttgarter Zeitung, pedelecs with 130,000 euros, according to Stuttgarter Nachrichten there is no funding. In addition, a one-time grant from the federal government for the construction of an infrastructure for pedelecs, according to Stuttgarter Nachrichten 2.7 million euros, according to Tagblatt 1.25 million euros. Registered customers can also use Call a bike flex in other cities if required . In 2007, 80 percent of loans ended within the free half hour. 47 percent of users combine the offer with other public transport offers . The offer does not have a winter break in Stuttgart. In contrast to the “Call a bike flex”, the user in Stuttgart can receive information by telephone on where to find free bikes if there is no bike at the station. A private service company takes over the maintenance, repair and distribution of the wheels for Deutsche Bahn Connect. The opening of further stations depends on the specific demand. The advantage of the fixed stations is that the bikes are easier to find. The disadvantage was the possibility of overcrowding at a desired destination if the redistribution was insufficient, forcing the user to return the rental bike to another free station. With the radio-based return system, this disadvantage is no longer present from the user's point of view. In May 2018, the Stuttgart Call-a-Bike system was replaced by the RegioRadStuttgart system, also operated by DB Connect , whose customer accounts are shared with Call a Bike.

Since July 2009, StadtRAD Hamburg has also had a Call-a-Bike-fix system in Hamburg with 1,650 bicycles at 129 stations, but with wheels painted in red. As in Stuttgart, the first half hour of borrowing is free for the user in Hamburg. You can register by phone, via the Internet or at the station itself using a terminal that also provides information about the position of the other stations and the number of bikes available there. The loan can by telephone, via the terminal by credit or debit card and application for iPhone and Android - smartphones done. The system was expanded to include new stations and additional bikes by mid-2013.

Since mid-2013 there has also been StadtRAD Lüneburg with five stations and 50 bikes with the same tariff system as in Hamburg. For customers of the Hamburg transport association , however, there is no discount on the minute rate.

Such systems have been installed at a total of 100 ICE stops since the end of 2009. As a rule, there is only one rental station directly at the train station.

The station system was also used in Berlin between the end of May 2011 and 2016. It was tested with selected users in 2010 under the name StadtRAD Berlin. The usage area is significantly smaller than the previous one in the Flex system. The flex system has been used again since March 2017 ( LIDL bike ).

e-Call a Bike

Two e-Call-a-Bike pedelecs in Berlin

Pedelecs are also being tested as a so-called e-call a bike . It is the Jetstream model from the Darmstadt manufacturer Riese und Müller . An electric hub motor (250 watts ) in the rear wheel supports pedaling up to a speed of 25 km / h if necessary. The power for the electric motor comes from a lithium-ion accumulator (24  volts , 10  Ah , 240  Wh ), which can be recharged either via the power grid or by energy recovery while driving. Currently (as of August 2012) e-Call a Bike is regularly offered in Aachen and Stuttgart. The bikes are also featured at public events where visitors can sometimes test ride. In Berlin, several Deutsche Bahn pedelecs are part of the “ BeMobility - Berlin elektro Mobil” project to integrate electric vehicles into public transport. From May 2010 onwards, up to four pedelecs could be borrowed at Berlin Central Station for a daily price of 15 euros. Test users have the opportunity to try out the vehicles as part of the project. The experiences are evaluated as part of the accompanying social science research.

"Konrad" in Kassel

Since March 29, 2012 there has been a rental system in Kassel under the name "Konrad", with 500 bicycles, distributed over 50 stations in the city. Konrad can be used by CallBike or StadtRAD customers without further registration, the same tariff as in Frankfurt am Main applies. The background to this is that Deutsche Bahn Connect operates the system, as does CallBike and StadtRAD. However, the wheels come from the Swiss company Simpel. The federal government and the city have supported the system with 1.67 million euros. Because of the many differences in altitude in Kassel, many Konrad users use the system mainly downhill. Two employees work eight hours a day to redistribute the bikes, including refilling them at the empty stations at Bergpark Wilhelmshöhe . In the first year of operation, the deficit was 160,000 euros. The contract expires at the end of 2017. Nextbike will take over from 2018 .

LIDL BIKES

Lidl Bikes at a virtual station in Berlin-Mitte

The contract between the State of Berlin and Deutsche Bahn expired at the end of 2015. Since the tender for continued operation was launched too late, Deutsche Bahn continued to operate the Call-a-Bike offer until the end of 2016 at its own expense. After Deutsche Bahn lost the tender to its competitor Nextbike in the summer of 2016 , it had to dismantle its stations by the end of the year. In competition with the state-subsidized system of Nextbike, Deutsche Bahn (with Lidl Germany as sponsor) started in March 2017 with 3,500 rental bikes in Berlin without state subsidies. The Call a Bike flex, which was used in Berlin in the first few years, is used without fixed stations. Instead, virtual stations are used that manage without a fixed infrastructure.

Web links

Commons : Call a Bike  - collection of pictures, videos and audio files

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ a b Olaf Krohn: Great freedom . In: mobile . No. 6 , June 2012, ISSN  0949-586X , p. 44-47 .
  2. ↑ 13.4 million kilometers… In: mobil . No. 3 , March 2015, ISSN  0949-586X , ZDB -ID 1221702-5 , p. 54 .
  3. ^ A b Christian Hogl / Friedrich Bimboese (Call A Bike). Retrieved March 4, 2020 .
  4. ↑ Call a Bike-Deutschland-Karte ( Memento of the original from April 17, 2013 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. as a PDF file  @1@ 2Template: Webachiv / IABot / www.callabike-interaktiv.de
  5. ↑ Karlsruhe cycles Nextbike ; Press release from the city of Karlsruhe; online on the Internet: December 20, 2013
  6. ↑ Call-a-Bike in Wiesbaden ( memento of the original from July 24, 2013 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was automatically inserted and not yet checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. dated September 7, 2009 @1@ 2Template: Webachiv / IABot / dmm.travel
  7. ↑ Call-a-Bike in Darmstadt from April 23, 2014
  8. ↑ Call a Bike in Wiesbaden and Rüsselsheim ( Memento of the original from March 23, 2014 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. asta-hsrm.de; online on the Internet: April 23, 2014  @1@ 2Template: Webachiv / IABot / www.asta-hsrm.de
  9. ↑ Wiesbaden Call a Bike No space for rental bicycles from Arne Löffel on fr-online.de from January 9, 2014
  10. ↑ Wiesbaden: The bicycles from the "Call a bike" rental system in a practical test ( memento of the original from March 4, 2016 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was automatically inserted and not yet checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. by Hilke Hildebrandt and Anna Warsberg on www. wiesbadener-tagblatt.de from March 19, 2014 @1@ 2Template: Webachiv / IABot / www.wiesbadener-tagblatt.de
  11. ↑ AStA Marburg: Register now for the "Call a Bike" bike rental system ( Memento of the original from May 8, 2014 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link has been inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. by Felix Rensch; Published on: March 31, 2014  @1@ 2Template: Webachiv / IABot / www.asta-marburg.de
  12. ↑ Cooperation between Call a Bike and the ASten of the TU Darmstadt, the RheinMain University and the University of Marburg - bike rental system starts with 20 stations each and 105 bikes each; Press release from Deutsche Bahn from March 28, 2014 ( Memento from August 26, 2014 in the Internet Archive )
  13. ↑ DB Rent: Call a Bike in Frankfurt am Main | Call a bike. Retrieved March 28, 2018 .
  14. ↑ DB Rent: FordPass Bikesharing in Cologne | Call a bike. Retrieved March 28, 2018 .
  15. ↑ a b Deutsche Bahn: Call a bike, the rental bike offer from Deutsche Bahn. (PDF; 2.3 MB) (No longer available online.) Archived from the original on March 3, 2011 ; Retrieved March 15, 2011 . Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. @1@ 2Template: Webachiv / IABot / www.callabike-interaktiv.de
  16. ↑ callabike.de Call a Bike Newsletter No. 12, Point 7 or 8 ( Memento of the original from March 8, 2016 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. , March 14, 2007 @1@ 2Template: Webachiv / IABot / www.callabike-interaktiv.de
  17. ↑ golem.de: Qiro wants to be an indispensable mobile helper , June 20, 2007
  18. ↑ callabike.de: Call a Bike Newsletter No. 2 ( Memento of the original from March 9, 2016 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. , July 2, 2007 @1@ 2Template: Webachiv / IABot / www.callabike-interaktiv.de
  19. ↑ callabike.de: Call a bike website - search , accessed April 25, 2008
  20. ↑ Karlsruher News: Call A Bike bike rental , August 2, 2007
  21. ↑ callabike.de: Stuttgart station plan on an electronic city map ( memento of the original from December 1, 2015 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. @1@ 2Template: Webachiv / IABot / www.callabike-interaktiv.de
  22. ↑ callabike.de: Call a Bike “fix” in Stuttgart ( Memento of the original from March 7, 2016 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. (PDF; 833 kB) @1@ 2Template: Webachiv / IABot / www.callabike-interaktiv.de
  23. ↑ a b Jörg Nauke: Bahn threatens to end bike rentals . Stuttgarter Zeitung (online), November 28, 2012.
  24. ↑ Stuttgarter Nachrichten: Bicycle rental in Stuttgart is on the brink
  25. ↑ Stuttgarter Nachrichten: Federal government spends 2.7 million on bicycles
  26. ↑ Tagblatt: Pedelecs are being integrated into the Call-a-Bike rental system in Stuttgart
  27. ↑ Stuttgarter Nachrichten: Twelve new stations with rental bicycles ( Memento from July 15, 2010 in the Internet Archive )
  28. ^ City of Lüneburg on cycling ( Memento from June 27, 2013 in the Internet Archive )
  29. ↑ Homepage City Bike Lüneburg
  30. ↑ callabike.de: ICE train station stations ( memento of the original from March 9, 2016 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was automatically inserted and not yet checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. @1@ 2Template: Webachiv / IABot / www.callabike-interaktiv.de
  31. ↑ Call a Bike: Berlin  ( page no longer available , search in web archives )  Info: The link was automatically marked as defective. Please check the link according to the instructions and then remove this notice.@1@ 2Template: Toter Link / callabike.de  
  32. ↑ Bahn restricts the Call-a-Bike system in Berlin to tagesspiegel.de
  33. ↑ Information from the manufacturer Riese und Müller on the specifications of the Jetstream type (PDF file) ( Memento from September 11, 2011 in the Internet Archive )
  34. ↑ National cycling plan: Deutsche Bahn launches e-Call a Bike in Aachen in public rental
  35. ↑ # x5D; = 101 & tx_ttnews [backPid] = 139 & cHash = 479b214afc Easier through all of Stuttgart with the e-Call a Bike. ( Memento of the original from November 29, 2016 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. November 1, 2011.  @1@ 2Template: Webachiv / IABot / www.callabike-interaktiv.de
  36. ↑ Call a Bike: News ( Memento of the original from October 2, 2010 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. , Call a Bike launched electromobility at the weekend in Berlin , news from May 17, 2010  @1@ 2Template: Webachiv / IABot / www.callabike-interaktiv.de
  37. ↑ http://www.kassel.de/stadt/mobilitaet/fahrrad/infos/13932/index.html
  38. ↑ http://www.konrad-kassel.de/index.php?id=8
  39. ↑ Brigitte Haschek: This is how our money is wasted in: auto motor und sport , issue 8/2013, from April 4, 2013, p. 154
  40. ↑ Konrad will be followed by Nextbike in Kassel from January In: hna.de, December 13, 2017, accessed on December 15, 2017.
  41. ↑ New operator wanted for rental bike service in Berlin ; Der Tagesspiegel from January 3rd, 2015 (accessed in February 2017)
  42. ↑ The train is out - Call another bike ; Der Tagesspiegel from June 15, 2016 (accessed in February 2017)
  43. ↑ Deutsche Bahn's largest bicycle rental system: 3,500 “LIDL-BIKES” for Berlin ( Memento of the original from April 4, 2017 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was automatically inserted and not yet checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. ; DB press release of February 23, 2017 (accessed in April 2017) @1@ 2Template: Webachiv / IABot / www.deutschebahn.com