PubliBike
| PubliBike AG | |
|---|---|
| legal form | Corporation |
| founding | 2011 (since 2014 as an AG ) |
| Seat | Freiburg in Üechtland |
| management | Markus Bacher |
| Number of employees | 30th |
| Branch | Bike rental |
| Website | www.publibike.ch |
PubliBike is a station-based bike rental system that is used in numerous Swiss cities. The company of the same name was founded in 2011 and expanded in 2013 by merging with a previously established rental company. In addition to the usual bikes , electric bikes are also available for use.
history
The company Velopass , founded as a partnership in 2009, is considered the beginning. A rental network was established between Lausanne and Morges and on the Riviera. At the end of the same year, Velopass became a GmbH . In the years that followed, eight new networks were built in western Switzerland and Ticino ( Freiburg agglomeration , Yverdon-les-Bains , Lugano , Chablais , Sion , La Côte, Les Lacs-Romont and Bulle ).
The PostBus operators and SBB (with Rent a Bike ) set up a second bike rental system called PubliBike . In August 2011 PubliBike installed its first station in Lucerne, followed by eight further stations in Brig , Solothurn , Basel , Frauenfeld , Winterthur , Kreuzlingen and Bern . However, these isolated stations have hardly been used and some have been discontinued.
To develop with the aim of a national bike rental system and provide access to both systems with a single customer card, acquired post bus Velopass . As of May 2013, customers were able to access 1000 bicycles and e-bikes that were available at 100 stations throughout Switzerland. On January 1, 2014 PubliBike became an AG and has been an independent subsidiary of PostBus ever since. The offices in Lausanne and Bern have been combined under one roof in Friborg .
At the end of February 2019 it became known that VBZ TrafficMedia had taken over the marketing of the advertising space on the PubliBikes in Zurich.
Since PubliBike still does not cover its costs, the company would like the public sector to contribute to the costs. In 2017 the turnover was less than CHF 3 million and a loss of CHF 5 million was made. The start-up losses in 2019 totaled CHF 10.9 million.
organization
Interested parties must create a customer account via the website or the PubliBike app. The app shows the PubliBike stations, which can be easily identified by means of a stele . The electronic bike lock, which is located behind the saddle, is woken up by pressing the silver button . Either the user opens the lock with the open app on the smartphone or alternatively holds the SwissPass up to the receiving electronics. After the ride, the bike can be parked at any PubliBike station. The bicycle lock must be closed by hand until the bracket engages. The travel costs incurred are displayed in the customer account and automatically debited there. The bikes can be borrowed around the clock.
There are subscriptions for frequent use : The “QuickBike”, with no annual fee, is primarily geared towards spontaneous people, tourists and the curious, while the “EasyBike” subscription was designed more for commuters and city dwellers. For customers who also want to ride e-bikes regularly, the “FreeBike” subscription is ideal (the first 30 minutes of each trip are always free of charge). Since March 2019, PubliBike has been offering monthly subscriptions ("EasyBike" and "FreeBike").
Existing networks (as of 2018)
At the end of 2017 PubliBike launched the first network with a completely new system, new bikes and electric bikes in Lausanne-Morges. Since then, the networks Agglo Freiburg, Lugano-Malcantone, Sion, Sierre, La Côte, Bern with Velo Bern and Zurich with Züri Velo have been opened.
The Yverdon-les-Bains network is still operated through the previous lending system.
Individual evidence
- ↑ VBZ TrafficMedia markets advertising space on PubliBike bikes. In: werbewoche.ch. February 27, 2019, accessed March 1, 2019 .
- ↑ Roger Braun: “What Publibike does is illegal”: Bike rental is popular, but ruinous. In: luzernerzeitung.ch . July 30, 2019, accessed July 30, 2019 .
- ↑ regulators Saner: PubliBike: What will be discussed in Bern, is in Freiburg reality. In: bernerzeitung.ch . February 3, 2020, accessed February 3, 2020 .
- ↑ That's how it works. Retrieved October 12, 2018 .
- ↑ map. Retrieved October 12, 2018 .