Romanian city to launch self-service bike rental by public transport card

A total of 300 bicycles will be available for self-service rental in Timisoara, Western Romania, under a project of over EUR 1.2 million from EU funds. Commuters in Timisoara will be able to rent bikes at 25 rental stations across the city, using their public transport subscriptions. The entire system will be managed by the Timisoara Public Transport Company RATT, which will have to buy the bikes, according to Tion.ro. “We’ll have to determine in the next period if renting a bike will be made for a small fee, or if it will be free of charge,” said deputy mayor Dan Diaconu. “The implementation of this project is on schedule. Under the contract, 25 automated bike racks will be set up in different pareas in Timisoara, and in 11 public transport stations, out of which eight will be replaced and three will be new,” according to Diaconu. The project also includes the revamping of several bike lanes in the city. Irina Popescu, irina.popescu@romania-insider.com