The international public tender launched in February to find a new bicycle supplier for the GIRA shared system has been revoked: “It was found that none [of the tenders] complied with all the requirements set out in the procedure documents"EMEL states in the document to which Lisboa Para Pessoas had access.
With around 600 bicycles in operation and 80 stations, the tender launched in February aimed to reinforce the GIRA system with 1500 electric bicycles in the last quarter of this year. In this way, EMEL, which manages the system, would be able to open the 10 stations that are still closed, prepare for the opening of new ones and reinforce the supply of vehicles, which is often in short supply for users.
The tender brought together nine interested parties, including CTT and MEOBut none of them managed, according to EMEL, to meet all the required conditions. It should be remembered that this tender should have been launched in May 2019, a month after EMEL terminated the contract with Órbita due to its inability to provide the contracted service.
It is not yet known what decision EMEL and Lisbon City Council will take, but another tender is currently underway for the purchase of 730 bicycles, which should be announced soon. GIRA's expansion plan has suffered several delays since 2017, but if it goes ahead as announced, there will be 3,500 bikes, 80% of which will be electric, and 350 stations within a maximum of eight years.
