Daniel Landolf, Head of PostBus Switzerland Ltd, and Jeannine Pilloud, Head of SBB Passenger Transport, jointly inaugurated the 100th station of the Switzerland-wide "PubliBike" bike-sharing service in Bern on Friday, October 12, 2012. This self-service bike rental service operates for seven twenty-four-hour periods. PostBus Switzerland Ltd, SBB and the bike rental company Rent a Bike are tapping into the "last mile" of public transport with this service.

After a ride on the Postbus or train, spontaneous, uncomplicated and individual onward travel by bike or e-bike: this is the main idea behind "PubliBike", the country's first system for hourly self-service bike rental. Launched in summer 2011, the bike-sharing service is being continuously expanded. Yesterday, the founding partners PostBus, SBB and Rent a Bike opened the 100th station at Belpstrasse 37 in Berne. The station was inaugurated today by Daniel Landolf, Head of PostBus Switzerland Ltd, and Jeannine Pilloud, Head of SBB Passenger Transport.

With "PubliBike", customers can hire a bicycle or an e-bike for short journeys around the clock every day. The first station was put into operation in Lucerne in August 2011 with a test phase, and since then more stations have been added continuously. The denser the network, the more attractive the offer. PostBus Switzerland Ltd therefore significantly expanded the "PubliBike" network in April 2012 with the integration of the company velopass. This acquisition made PostBus the national market leader in self-service bike rental: around 1000 bikes and e-bikes are available to customers at the 100 stations.

"PubliBike" and velopass are currently most widespread in French-speaking Switzerland and Lugano. The bikes and e-bikes are available there in larger networks and are used correspondingly often. "PubliBike" therefore wants to grow in other cities and also build up as dense a network of stations as possible in conurbations. The number of electric bikes should continue to increase. To this end, "PubliBike" will also take part in tenders in future. Cities such as Basel, Zurich and Bern are currently planning tenders for a local bike-sharing network.

The use of "PubliBike" is structured as follows: Customers register once at www.publibike.ch, logging in at the station terminal each time with their "PubliBike" Map. On the way, the bike can be parked and secured with a frame lock. When returning the bike, users push it back into the holder. For subscribers, the first half-hour rental of a normal bike is free, after which the hour costs two francs. The hourly rental fee for e-bikes is four francs. The bikes and e-bikes can soon also be paid for spontaneously on site by credit card for a slightly higher rate. The aim is to offer subscription users standardized access to "PubliBike" by 2013: one Map, one tariff system, one subscription, one billing, one account, one emergency number.

Source: Press release

www.publibike.ch