Urban Bike Sharing: Ten Times Less CO2 Than in a Car!

According to the ECF, driving a car for one kilometer generates an average CO2 emission of 271 grams. In operation, a bicycle itself is emission-free. When all indirect factors such as production, delivery, repair, or increased calorie intake are taken into account, the bicycle emits just 21 grams per kilometer. No other means of transport can compete with this!

Bike-Sharing Can Save Up to 250,000 Tons of CO2

Cycling is thus an incredibly efficient mobility alternative and has the potential to replace cars, especially over short and medium distances. These distances account for a large part of the trips made in urban traffic. Bike-sharing solutions offer easy and flexible access, thus increasing the proportion of cyclists. Apart from benefiting the climate, occasional users, tourists, or socially disadvantaged individuals can particularly benefit from this.

A CIE study estimates the potential savings from bike-sharing across Europe at 250,000 tons of CO2 annually. To realize this potential, the study recommends that cities look to municipal systems like the one in Paris.

Coverage as a Success Factor

One of the most important factors for the use of bike-sharing systems is comfortable bikes and good availability. Nothing is more frustrating than needing a bike urgently and not having one nearby. Many private providers of micromobility therefore try to be present in city centers with many e-bikes and e-scooters. Here, users are allowed to park and pick up bikes and scooters anywhere.

However, the large number of vehicles comes at a high price: for users, the offerings are very expensive and usually cost several euros for a short ride. For people who do not use the service, the many rental bikes and scooters often mean disorder and insecurity. A large, widespread municipal stations system, on the other hand, is the ideal alternative for comprehensive, orderly, and effective provision and use of bicycles.

For private providers, profitability is the priority, even based on rising prices or at the expense of users who can afford it. If a district or city is not profitable, it will not be served with a rental bike service according to this logic. In a municipal bike rental system, the common good is the focus. It's not about maximizing profits, but about offering an environmentally friendly, efficient, and affordable mobility solution.

Bike-Sharing as an Integral Part of Public Transport

Municipal operation is a given for public transport in the form of buses, subways, or trams in all German cities. Due to the recognized societal value, consideration based purely on economic profitability is not up for debate here. A municipal bike-sharing system should therefore perform the same function as already established public transport - just on a micro-level. The societal and environmental benefits are also very similar.

A major advantage of municipal bike-sharing systems also lies in better integration into city planning. Cities have the opportunity to analyze traffic flows and incorporate them into demand planning. Planning security is also provided, as there is no dependency on the investment decisions of a private company. Targeted traffic management and the expansion of bicycle infrastructure are thus facilitated. The possibly higher costs for municipal operation of such a system are not seriously comparable to the long-term benefits. Therefore, cities are well advised to consider bike-sharing as a fixed component of their public transport.

Clear Trend: E-Bikes Much More Popular Than Non-Motorized Bicycles

Cities can learn two important things from private providers:Nowadays, everyone is focusing on e-bikes. Offers with classic non-supported bikes are used significantly less. Providers who do not focus on e-bikes have almost completely disappeared from the market. A small motor makes a big quality difference and encourages more people to cycle.

The number of bikes must exceed a critical mass. They need to be visible and available to be perceived as a reliable means of transport.

German Cities Increasingly Rely on Their Own Bicycle Concepts

The advantages of municipal bike-sharing offerings are being recognized by more and more cities in Germany. Düsseldorf, for example, is planning 400 municipal stations with 2,500 bikes, even though private providers are already competing with each other in the state capital. The city of Augsburg was one of the pioneers in bike-sharing with 120 rental bikes of its own back in 2011. Now, the Bavarian metropolis is starting bike-sharing under its own administration with over 500 classic bicycles. Several hundred pedelecs will be added in 2025.

A comprehensive and well-organized bike-sharing system is thus increasingly seen as an important building block of a modern, environmentally friendly transport infrastructure. Even smaller cities that previously had no bike-sharing offerings are increasingly starting to build their own systems.