Railways Rent Bikes to Berliners
August 13, 2002
By THE ASSOCIATED PRESS 
Filed at 2:03 p.m. ET 


BERLIN (AP) -- Helping commuters shave time off their daily train commutes, Germany's 
rail system has extended a rental bike program to the nation's capital. 
Deutsche Bahn, Germany's railway operator, deployed more than 1,200 bicycles with the 
railway's red "DB" logo around Berlin last week, and plans to distribute 800 more by 
the end of the month. 
The program began two years ago in Munich, where 1,100 bicycles are currently on the 
streets. 
Customers can pick up the bikes at stations, at random street corners, or wherever 
previous riders may have left them. 
The only catch: riders must have a credit card or bank account, and it's more 
convenient with a mobile phone. 
Other European cities have tried to make bikes easily available, with mixed results. 
Half of the 800 bikes put on the street in Vienna through a program sponsored by the 
city government and private sponsors in May disappeared within a week. 
But Deutsche Bahn officials say the high-tech electronic pay and security system of 
their Call-a-Bike service should prevent such losses. Only 20 bikes have been stolen 
or destroyed in Munich, said head of Deutsche Bahn's bicycle program Joachim 
Schindler. 
To use the bikes, riders must first register a credit card or bank account number with 
the railway. 
When they want to use one of the bikes, registered customers use a mobile or pay phone 
to call a number on the bicycle's lock to get a code to unlock the bike. 
The cost is 5 cents a minute, and does not exceed $15 for a full day. 
The rider can leave the bike locked anywhere in the city, phoning the railway to stop 
the meter and report where the bike has been left. 
The eight-speed bikes were specially constructed by the German company Schauff and 
equipped with automatic headlights, shock absorbers, rust-proof frames and special 
screws to make stealing parts more difficult, Deutsche Bahn spokesman Andreas Fuhrmann 
said.
http://www.nytimes.com/aponline/international/AP-Germany-Call-A-Bike.html?ex=1030262657&ei=1&en=819828fc94c8bd70


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_______________________________________
John Madera
Regional Bicycle Programs Coordinator
Delaware Valley Regional Planning Commission
111 S. Independence Mall E.
Philadelphia, PA  19106
Phone (215) 238-2854  Fax (215) 592-9125
[EMAIL PROTECTED]
www.dvrpc.org
 



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