Only a few years ago the city of Barcelona introduced Bicing, a transporting system whereby bikes can be rented all around the city. After just these several years, these red and white bicycles have turned into a success. It enables you to travel around Barcelona whenever you want for a modest price. A sporty activity with which you can explore the city and enjoy the pleasant weather.
The network currently consists of 6000 bicycles that can be lent and returned at over 400 stations. The distance between the several stations is on average 350 meters and the stations are thoughtfully located near bus stops and metro stations.When someone wants to make use of this system, users must sign up for a yearly membership of 37 Euros. When you receive the card it is ready for use. The first 30 minutes is free, but the next 30 minutes blocks (up to 2 hours) will cost 0.5 Euro per each block. When using the bicycles for over 2 hours a fine of 3 Euro per hour will be given to the user.
It is now only possible for inhabitants of Catalonia to make use of the transporting system but the community would like to make a change in that. They would like to make it possible to rent the bicycles for a shorter time as well, but because of strong protests from the city´s bike rental firms this proposal was rejected. Several companies are offering advertisement on the bicycles and the community is now also considering placing advertisements on the rear of the bicycle.
This popular transporting system is very sportive as well as climate friendly. It makes it possible to see the city without producing any emissions. This project was a large investment but it was definitely worth it. However, there also occurred vandalism to the system. In addition, robbery of the Bicing bicycles appeared. Luckily the amount of these actions is going down. The system requires low maintenance in comparison to the other transporting systems such as the metro and busses because of the little jobs and cleaning needed. Moreover, with the system the user is less dependent on for example departure times.
Bicing is gaining popularity because of the easy use and low dependability. Although the recession in Spain the system holds its users and by introducing also short term usage for visitors and advertisement the system can grow even further. This is a growing organization and will be a part of Barcelona for decades.
If you are interested in visiting Barcelona, and like cycling then Bicing is perfect for you. Also, if you are looking for great vacation apartments in Barcelona then check out Apartime.com, providers of aparthotels in Barcelona.
This article was written by Sanne, a travel writer who is interested in travelling around the world.
