Spectrum: As the Munich Transport Company (MVG) announced yesterday, the “MVG Rad” rental bike project, which has been planned for a long time, will start in 2015. The city council has already approved the project, which is co-financed by the city of Munich - concrete planning is to begin shortly.
The MVG Rad concept is also particularly interesting because it was planned from the outset as part of local public transport, as the head of planning, Gunnar Heipp, emphasizes again: "MVG Rad is […] the logical addition to our classic subway, bus and tram modes of transport in order to offer even more individual mobility." Initially, around 1200 rental bikes are planned at a total of 125 stations, which will primarily be located at subway and tram stops. However, users will also be able to park their rental bike freely. In addition to stations at bus stops, MVG will also set up individual test stations in larger residential complexes. For the future, urban planning consideration and integration of such stations in new construction projects is conceivable.
A one-time registration will be required to use it. Bikes can then be booked quickly and easily via app, internet or telephone. Billing is to the minute for rates below 10 cents per minute. In addition, there will also be attractively priced annual subscriptions and discounts for special groups of people such as trainees or students.
The MVG Rad project underlines the growing importance of the bicycle as a means of transport in German cities. Even if many municipalities and cities still neglect the wheel in their planning, a change in thinking is slowly taking place in many places, which we very much welcome.