Italy discovers free-flow bike sharing and Milan wants to be at the forefront: 12,000 new bicycles and the extension of the service to the wider urban area.
Free-flow bike sharing is a phenomenon that is exploding in major Italian cities such as Milan. The experimental Easybike project launched in Bari has paved the way, together with other similar projects, for the spread of this new bicycle-sharing model across Italy.
In Milan, the Municipality and the Metropolitan City have decided to work together to open the door to new players in the free-flow bike sharing sector, with a further 12,000 bicycles across the wider urban area. This doubles the total number of shared bikes, extending the service beyond the city centre and complementing the BikeMi system, which operates in the city centre and has so far been recognised as a success. Interested companies will need to operate a fleet of between 1,000 and 3,000 vehicles, pay fifteen euros per bicycle to the Municipality for services and land use, and invest a further fifteen euros per bike to promote cycling mobility.
The companies Ofo and Mobike (the latter also present in Florence and Rome) were the first to come forward, and other operators will soon follow. A collaboration between the Municipality of Milan and the Metropolitan City will, in the coming months, bring free-flow bike sharing to sixty municipalities in the Milan area.
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Those who have tested these new bike sharing services find them more convenient than BikeMi, mainly because there is no obligation to return the bicycle to designated locations such as docking stations. Ofo bikes, unlike Mobike's, have three gears. Mobike's advantage lies in its puncture-proof tyres: no more flat tyres, though at the cost of feeling the road surface more keenly. Mobike also has a setup — starting with its 24-inch wheels — that is not particularly comfortable for taller riders. Nevertheless, Mobike managed to win Milan over, reaching 35,000 registered users in its first fifteen days.
Unlike classic bike sharing, where there are stations with docking points from which to pick up or return a bicycle, free-flow bike sharing — originally referred to by the English term "free floating" — offers greater freedom, as it is possible to park the bike in various areas of the city.
The use of GPS tracking and a smartphone with an internet connection makes it simple to locate all available bikes. Through the smartphone app, the user unlocks the selected bicycle — chosen from those shown on the map — which is then reserved for fifteen minutes. The bike is unlocked by scanning the QR code on the frame. Once the journey is complete, all that is needed is to park the bike in a public place where others can book it, by locking the smart lock.
The convenience of not having to return the bike to specific racks has led some to think that free-floating bike sharing, offered by companies such as Mobike and Ofo, could pose a threat to the already existing and steadily growing BikeMi service. As reported by The Submarine, the two models can comfortably coexist, as their use cases do not overlap.
The advantage of a service like BikeMi is its bike-redistribution system across the various stations, while free-flow bike sharing allows cycling in the suburbs too. The latter is also ideal for occasional use, thanks to time-based pricing and a simple registration process (whereas BikeMi is a subscription-based service, which is nonetheless advantageous if one uses bike sharing very frequently).