Bike sharing in 10 European countries report. Module 3: Czech Republic

Transcription

1 Working Document Number: D 4.3 Bike sharing in 10 European countries report. Module 3: Czech Republic Work package: WP2 Date of Preparation: Author(s): Editor(s): Project Co-ordinator: Jaroslav Martinek Alberto Castro Fernández, Günter Emberger, Nigel Williams. Janett Büttner choice GmbH Holzmarktstraße 6-9 D Berlin Tel +49 (0) buettner@choice.de

2 Table of Contents 1. Country Overviev 4 2. Market Potential 5 3. Prague City Overview Homeport Czech Railways bike hire service 8 1

3 Tables Table 1-1: Fact and figures of Czech Republic. 4 Table 3-1: Facts and figures of Prague. 6 Table 3-2: Facts and figures of Homeport. 7 2

4 Figures Figure 3-1: Prague cycle network. Image: Prousek, T. (2009). 6 Figure 3-2: Homeport bike station. Image: Martinek, J. (2009). 7 Figure 3-3: Homeport bike station network. Image: HOMEPORT (2009). 8 Figure 3-4: Czech railways bike station network in Czech Republic. Image: Czech railways (2008). 9 3

5 1. Country overview The countryside of the Czech Republic is picturesque, varied, and rich in natural beauty, history and traditions. For this reason Czech people like recreational cycling too. But the cycling share is still very low compared with other European countries (5%). The Cycling Master Plan was edited in 2004 and shows good practices and strategies to promote cycling. The role of the Ministry of Transport within the Cycling Master Strategy is to coordinate cycling activities at national, regional and local level, to create a systematic and financial background, and to include the development of cycling into the projects prepared for co-financing from the EU structural funds. However, bike sharing, as bicycle rental for every day use, has only been discussed in some press articles and on the websites of groups promoting cycling. A system using Homeport electronic locking by PIN or smart card has been considered for Prague only. Private bike rental firms operate in many tourist resorts, offering bikes mostly for shortterm recreational rides, sometimes offering the option to rent bikes for longer journeys. In the Czech Republic, the only successful service is that of the Czech Railways which has introduced the service in regions attractive to tourists. In the centres of popular cycling and tourist regions, bicycles can be rented at the station. A bicycle can be booked from the hire service in advance by phone or internet. The rented bikes can be transported by train free of charge on selected lines. The system is part of the services offered by Czech Railways. Bicycles can also be deposited at all stations on selected lines free of charge. The bicycle does not have to be returned to the place where it was rented it can be returned to other listed train stations, again without having to pay a transport fee. Population (a) Gross income (a) Cycle paths (a) 10,467,542 inhabitants 11,127 /person*year 1,300 km (a)2008 Table 1-1: Fact and figures of Czech Republic. 4

6 2. Market Potential The Czech Republic as a small country has only 63 cities with more than 20,000 inhabitants (only one has more then 500,000 inhabitants, four have more the 100,000 inhabitants). The coverage of bike sharing scheme is limited to Prague, with the HOMEPORT system. The Czech Railway company (České dráhy, a.s., hereinafter ČD) has a bike rental system in five cities with more than 20,000 inhabitants (Jindřichův Hradec, Tábor, Olomouc, Znojmo and Breclav) and 10 cities with less than 20,000 inhabitants (České Velenice, Veselí nad Lužnicí, Třeboň, Turnov, Tanvald, Jičín, Volary, Černá v Pošumaví, Nová Pec, Česká Skalice, Lysá nad Labem, Veseli nad Moravou) In co-operation with the Homeport Company a manual and a pricelist for other Czech towns was prepared. The first meetings were held in Hradec Králové and Pardubice, but this system could be implemented in the city of Tábor (only for 50 bicycles) in The NAB Committee decided that a specific workshop focused on Bike Sharing deployment would be organised (November 2009, Brno). The aim is to invite various companies and partners from Poland and Germany and we hope that at least one of the presented models could be placed in the Czech Republic. Parallel steps are focused on the co-operation with ČD. Analysis shows that ČD s bike rental system is not cost-effective and almost dying at present. This resulted in decline of bike rentals in 2007 and Nevertheless, feasible solutions for development of the system for the ČD network were explored and found. A bicycle rental was proposed and implemented operated on the base of a contract between a municipality and the ČD. This system is inaugurated in Kroměříž, it will be further monitored and recommended in other towns. A more positive approach has been developed in the region of South Bohemia where a great interest in the system was "awakened" and a compact network of bicycle rentals is about to be established. We are in regular close contact with the partners in South Bohemia and it will be very interesting to monitor progress. 5

7 Prague 3. Prague 3.1. City overview A big part of Prague is situated on a hilly area. Prague is the capital, the biggest and the most populated city in the Czech Republic. It is also an important tourist destination in Europe. Prague has moderate central European continental climate. The cycling share is still very low compared with other Czech and European cities (1%). The objective of the last Cycling Transport Plan, edited in 1995, is to reach 10% of cycling share by For this goal around 0.085% of the municipal budget is assigned. Bikes are allowed in train and metro coaches on the Prague public transport network. Figure 3-1: Prague cycle network. Image: Prousek, T. (2009). Population (a) Area (b) Tourists per year (a) Technology access in households Mobile (a) Internet (a) 1,233, km² Temperature 4,597,867 90% Precipitation (a) 56% Wind (a) Average (e) Maximal (c) Minimal (c) Amount Days (f) Average 8,2 C 35 C -13,1 C 527 mm km/h Modal Split (a) Private vehicle PT Bicycle Walking 33% 43% 1% 23% Bike thefts per year (a) Accidents per year (c) (g) Injured persons per year (c) Dead persons per year (c) Total Cycling Total Cycling Total Cycling 1, , Car ownership (c) PT fare (a) Roads (a) Cycle network (a) Bike Paths Bike parking spaces 506 cars/ 0.70/trip 3,770 km 360 km (segregated) (a) (a) 1,000inhab /month 135 km 150 bikes (a)2008. (b)2009. (c)2007. (d)national data (e)average (f)>1mm precipitation (g)injured persons involved. Table 3-1: Facts and figures of Prague

8 Prague 3.2. Homeport In 2005 the city of Prague introduced a new technology scheme: Homeport. Homeport bike rental system is a fully automatic system enabling customers to rent and return bicycles without the need for a phone call, talking to anybody or paying a person. The only thing that the customers need is the card or the key case/key pouch with a chip. There are several Homeport stands and after finishing the trip the customer can return the bicycle to the nearest empty stand. Figure 3-2: Homeport bike station. Image: Martinek, J. (2009). After buying a card one can rent any bicycle from any stand. The user switches on the Homeport, holds on the card near the mark on the screen, waits till completion of the authenticating process, chooses the bicycle by pressing the button, pulls out the bike and he/she can go. The process of returning the bike is similar but quicker since the PIN is not required. Homeport offers a non-stop service (24h/7d). Rental of up to 2 minutes is free. Longer periods are charged in bands at roughly 0.50 per hour. 24 hours or longer costs hours is the limit of rental time. Infrastructure (a) Rents (b) Stations Bicycles Rents Average duration Daily rents , minutes 8,28 (a)2009. (b)2008 Table 3-2: Facts and figures of Homeport. 7

9 Prague Figure 3-3: Homeport bike station network. Image: HOMEPORT (2009) Czech Railways bike hire service Czech Railways has introduced a bike sharing scheme in the regions attractive to tourists. Bicycles can be booked in advance by phone or via the Internet. Bicycles can be transported by train free of charge on selected lines on Czech Railways which are closer to the destination. Luggage may be left at the station. The bicycle can be returned to any station on selected lines free of charge. At the end of the rental it is not necessary to return the bicycle to the place it was borrowed from. It can be returned to any listed station where you can then travel by train, again without having to pay the transport fee for the bike A hirer must show two pieces of identity documentation to prove. Two personal identity documents (e.g. identity card, driver's license, passport, etc.) must be shown before making a lease agreement, and a returnable security deposit for the bike (CZK 500 or CZK 1000) and to payment (CZK 100 to CZK 200 per day) is required. The security deposit will be returned back to you on return of the bike, even in listed stations other than the one where you rented the bike. Bike hire service facilities on Czech Railways are open from 1st April to 31st October. 8

10 Prague Figure 3-4: Czech railways bike station network in Czech Republic. Image: Czech railways (2008). 9