Blue-bike gaining popularity

Blue-bike, the bicycle share system of Belgian rail company SNCB, is steadily gaining popularity in Belgium, and especially in Brussels where the blue bikes are increasingly being used, reports brusselnieuws.be.

In the capital, the Blue-bikes can be found in the train stations of Brussels North, Central, South and Luxembourg. Over the past few months, there were 260 Blue-bike rides from these stations, while last year there were just 180 rides during the same period.

Blue-bikes are also available in the stations of Halle and Vilvoorde, outside of Brussels. Last month, these stations recorded 90 rides with Blue-bikes, 30 more than the previous year.

Blue-bike credits the strong increase to its third-party payment system, which offers rides in certain cities for only €1 euro per trip instead of €3. The Flemish government and the city or municipality then subsidise the initiative by paying the remaining €2 per trip. In some Flemish cities, Blue-bike rentals are even free of charge thanks to government subsidies.