Ljubljana's bike sharing Bicikelj celebrates its 10 year anniversary

The Bicikelj bicycles have been a familiar sight in the Slovenian capital Ljubljana over the last 10 years. The bike sharing service is a partnership between the City of Ljubljana and the private operator Europlakat, which is a joint venture including JCDecaux.

The scheme has grown from 30 stations and 300 bicycles at the start in 2011 to 73 stations and 730 bicycles today. The service is popular and has enabled almost 8 million rides in its first 10 years. The scheme's 52,500 annual subscriptions show that more than 17% of Ljubljana's residents are using Bicikelj bicycles regularly. On average, each bicycle is used 8 times a day.

The service continues to expand and will have more than 80 stations in the coming months. It has also seen a software update and the introduction of its own app. Bicikelj is financed through advertisements, meaning that the scheme can charge low rates for ad-hoc use and subscriptions. Indeed, the first 60 minutes of use are free of charge.

Zoran Janković, Mayor of City of Ljubljana, stated: "I am delighted that Ljubljana is a cycle-friendly city, in which the Bicikelj system has made an important contribution. Congratulations on 10 very successful years! At the City of Ljubljana, we are aware that cycling is the most environmentally and health-friendly form of mobility, so we are constantly updating our cycling infrastructure, ensuring that cycling is even safer and more pleasant. […] Since 2015 we have been ranked three times in a row on the list of 20 cycle-friendly cities the Copenhagenize Index. The biggest recognition is, in fact, the increase in cycling routes and the satisfaction of citizens. I am looking forward to sharing these achievements with the participants in the World Cycling Conference Velo-City 2022, which we will host in Ljubljana from 14 to 17 June next year.”

Article published first at WebWire on 14 May 2021.