Stockholm to launch new e-bike sharing service

The City of Stockholm has signed an agreement with Spanish firm CityBike Global to roll out 5,100 e-bikes in the Swedish capital as part of a new municipal bike sharing service.

The project, set to be fully operational by April 2022, is expected to be one of the largest public e-bike sharing services in Europe.

“We are proud of being selected as a partner by the City of Stockholm to run this strategic service which will provide alternative active mobility to the citizens of Stockholm,” said Jordi Cabanas, CEO, CityBike Global.

Efficient and sustainable

CityBike Global, part of the Moventia Group, has partnered with Italian e-bike firm Vaimoo on the project.

The companies say the bikes are both efficient and sustainable due to the recycled aluminium frame and the fast swappable battery with large capacity.

“This agreement brings Vaimoo e-bikes into another world capital of cycling,” said Matteo Pertosa, CEO and founder of Vaimoo.

“Partnering with CityBike Global in the Stockholm project is [of] great pride both personally and for the whole Vaimoo team, who are constantly committed to the design and implementation of complete and easily integrated sharing systems for an alternative, sustainable and inclusive mobility.”

The e-bikes will cost 10 SEK (US$1.16) a day to rent, or 149 SEK for a yearly subscription, with the service funded by advertising and users’ rental fees.

Speaking at its launch, Daniel Helldén, Stockholm’s Vice Mayor for Transport, said the e-bike rollout was “smart mobility at its best”.

Helldén recently announced he would be leaving municipal politics in autumn 2022 to run for the national parliament.

Growing popularity

Along with an increasing cohort of cities offering e-bike sharing services, personal e-bikes have soared in popularity over the past few years – particularly since the pandemic.

A study by Bosch eBike Systems earlier this month revealed that 55 percent of UK adults are now considering purchasing an e-bike.

The study polled over 2,000 people across the UK on their perceptions of e-mobility and how these have changed since the start of the pandemic.

It found that 32 percent of respondents said they would use their car less in favour of e-bikes, and 66 percent would consider buying an e-bike if the Government committed to proposed subsidy schemes.

In 2020, the UK e-bike market grew by 68 percent compared to 2019,

Of those considering purchasing an e-bike, 23 percent say they are more likely to buy an e-bike now than they were before the pandemic began.

Image: Vaimoo/CityBike Global