Community Mobility Sharepoints in Munich and Zurich
The Challenge
The goal is to encourage and support families in urban areas to be mobile without a private car and use active modes of travel, such as the electric cargo bike or a pedelec with a trailer attached.
The Solution
Mobility sharing points were set up in Munich and Zurich, providing a new service to local residents. They could borrow an electric cargo bike, a pedelec with a trailer attached, and helmets and pedal scooters for children. The use of these mobility tools is free of charge for local inhabitants. The e-bikes and the e-cargo-bikes could be booked ahead. After using the bikes, the user is asked to charge the battery at a plug provided in the share point.
A group of volunteers manages the share point (“bike carers”). They also take care of the reservation system and the maintenance of the bikes.
Making an impact
- The service was very well received, and the share point caretakers (usually youth centres or other kinds of social institutions) reported a good utilisation rate.
- In one settlement in Zurich the mobility sharepoint was used by around 15% of all households, which is high. Those inhabitants used the two bikes regularly, 2 to 3 times a week. The bikes were mainly used for work, leisure and shopping purposes.
- The share points reduce car usage and offer a service for families to be actively mobile in their everyday life.
- Neighbours connect with share point caretakers.
- The scheme lets families experience alternatives to car use.
- The inhabitants used a Google calendar for booking the bikes, and a highly dedicated group of volunteers took care of the bikes.
Lessons learnt
The initial work is worth the effort, since implementation is planned to for several years. Additionally, it supports families being mobile and it promotes alternatives to the car.
E-cargo-bikes are especially suitable replacements for a car, and because they are quite expensive, it makes sense to share them among a larger group of people. Yet this might not work in all environments. It is also crucial to have a dedicated group of residents to run the scheme, and it is important that the residents are interested in using bicycles.
Only adults are allowed to ride electric bikes. Nevertheless, this helps to minimise car traffic and thus increase child-friendliness. If scooters are offered, this encourages children to also travel actively.
Recommendations:
- Find space for the vehicles and equipment.
- Make sure vehicles and equipment are shielded from weather and are theft-protected.
- Develop the legal framework for the borrowing process.
- Choose appropriate vehicles and equipment according to your goals.
- Find a group of people that feels responsible for the bikes, and is motivated to take care of them. In this regard, it is important to have enough financial resources to deal with any repair works (especially for the e-cargo-bikes, which can be quite expensive).
- Communication is key - promote the service e.g. send out invitations to the inhabitants and open the share point with an attractive event such as a bicycle repair workshop.
- Assess possible locations for the share point in the set