Expansion of rental system planned Regionalverkehr Köln wants to use more e-bikes for the region

Rhein-Sieg-Kreis. · The Cologne Regional Transport Company wants to expand the rental system for e-bikes (in) on the left bank of the Rhine. Initial results of the cooperation with Nextbike since May are good.

 Via a mobile phone app, the e-bikes can be rented, as here at the bus stop "Alfter - Alanus Hochschule".

Via a mobile phone app, the e-bikes can be rented, as here at the bus stop "Alfter - Alanus Hochschule".

Foto: Matthias Kehrein

Both the developers and many potential users will certainly have asked themselves whether an e-bike rental system can work in rural areas with comparatively few rental stations. But it obviously does. After all, the Cologne Regional Transport Company (RVK) is planning to expand its rental system in the towns and communities in the Rhine-Sieg district on the left bank of the Rhine and in Weilerswist.

The system was launched with wheels from Nextbike in May this year. And what is the balance so far? "Very positive", says RVK spokeswoman Andrea Jahn, "because the offer has already been gratifyingly well received by people in its first year“.

According to Jahn, by mid-December there had been more than 7200 loans. She adds: "It must also be taken into account that all 70 bikes have only been available since the end of June, until then there were only 23, so otherwise the number would be correspondingly higher".

The stations: There are currently seven fixed lending and return stations: at the "Alfter - Alanus Hochschule" tram stop, at the railway stations in Bornheim-Roisdorf, Meckenheim, Rheinbach, Weilerswist and Swisttal-Odendorf and at the "Berkum EKZ" bus stop in Wachtberg. There are also so-called virtual stations. There are no operating terminals or bicycle racks there, but the bikes can be parked and borrowed again regularly.

The virtual stations can be found at both locations of the Alanus University in Alfter, at the stop of line 16 in Hersel, at Peter-Fryns-Platz in Bornheim, at the church square in Meckenheim and at the town hall, on the main street (Lindenplatz) in Rheinbach as well as on the village square in Wormersdorf, at Fronhof in Swisttal-Heimerzheim and at the town hall in Ludendorf, at the Wachtberg town hall in Berkum as well as at Henseler Hof in Niederbachem, in the Weilerswist-Süd development area and in the village centre. The places are marked in the Nextbike-App and indicated with signs.

Planned extensions: "Further fixed stations are planned, especially along the rail stops in the region," says Jahn. She cites the stations in Sechtem, at the Meckenheim Industrial Park or in Alfter-Witterschlick as examples. In addition, according to Jahn, well-frequented virtual stations are already being upgraded to fixed stations, for example in Niederbachem.

According to the RVK, this should happen by 2021 at the latest, and possibly as early as next year. More fixed stations naturally also mean more bicycles. In addition, there will be new virtual stations by spring 2020, Jahn continues - for example at Hertersplatz in Alfter or at the Fraunhofer Institute in Wachtberg-Berkum.

Linking up with Bonn: As Jahn explains, there is currently no possibility of linking up with the Bonn bike rental system of Stadtwerke Bonn (SWB), which also works with Nextbike bikes. Jahn: "Specifically, return options for RVK e-bikes from the Rhein-Sieg-Kreis are to be set up in the Bonn urban area in the form of initially virtual stations". It is planned to implement the plan at the beginning of 2020, the coordination with the city of Bonn is in full swing. Original text: Christoph Meurer Translation: Mareike Graepel

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