Although the bicycle was an advised means of mobility in times of pandemic, the Municipality of Cascais decided to suspend its shared system. Three years later, biCas are back with far fewer bikes and stations.
These were the first shared bikes in the Lisbon metropolitan area, but when the Covid-19 pandemic hit in 2020, the Municipality of Cascais decided to deactivate the service for no apparent reason. At a time when mobility needed to be reduced but it was still necessary to leave the house - whether for supplies, essential jobs, or so-called "hygienic rides" - the cycling has been harnessed by many cities as an excellent form of mobility over short distances and without social contact.
The municipality of Cascais will not have seen the bicycle in the same way.
Three years later, the biCas are returning to the stations and docks that have been empty for three years. O system is available only to residents, students or workers of the municipality who must request the Viver Cascais card, in digital or physical format. Once you have this card (which in its digital version is free of charge), all you have to do is download the MobiCascais app (iOS or Android) and make use of the system, which works just as you would expect a bike sharing system to work: you choose a station, unlock a bike, use it, and return it at the same or another station. Use is free and for a maximum of 60 minutes per use.
But if the bikes that are at the stations are only for residents, students and workers (with the Viver Cascais card), there are several kiosks that allow the use of these same bicycles by tourists and other non-residents. In all, there are five kiosks: two in the town of Cascais, one in Guia, one in Carcavelos and another in Estoril. At these points, you can rent conventional or electric bikes, electric scooters, and also helmets and locks for periods of 30 minutes to 1 day.
The following price list exists:
| Time | traditional biCas | electrical biCas | Electric scooters | Helmet | Padlock |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 30 minutes | - | - | 6 € | - | - |
| 1 hour | 2 € | 4 € | 10 € | - | - |
| 4 hours | - | - | 15 € | - | - |
| 1 day | 6 € | 10 € | - | 1 € | 1 € |
But back to the public bike share system. There are 12 stations spread throughout the county, offering, however, a low territorial coverage. There are three docks between Carcavelos and Praia da Torre/Universidade NOVA; two more in Estoril; four more in Cascais; two in Bairro Chesol; and one in Malveira da Serra. The biCas system works every day of the year via the app and between 7 am and 8 pm.
The biCas service was originally launched in 2001 and provided bicycles for leisure at three points in the town of Cascais. In 2016, it was renewed with 84 stations planned for strategic locations such as public transport hubs, parking lots, and traffic-generating poles (schools, clubs and associations, or shopping centers). At that time, access was possible with an NFC card or cell phone app, and there were four types of subscriptions: daily, weekly, monthly, and yearly. The docks could be used both to take biCas and to park private bicycles, since there was a complementary mode of bike parking which gave access to a dock and its lock.
However, between 2016 and the present time, not only has the number of active stations been reduced, but also the number of docks at some stations. For example, in Carcavelos, there were even two dozen docks and today only two are available. At that location, the docks will have been replaced by a kiosk for renting biCas to tourists and visitors; doing the math, from 84 planned stations to the current 12, that's a reduction of 85%. In 2019, electric scooter rental has been added to the biCas rental, but only at the kiosks.
About the suspension of the dockside bike-sharing system, the Cascais Municipality clarified to the newspaper Polygraph, a year ago, which made that decision "because it is not possible to ensure that bicycles are disinfected with the regularity necessary for safe use by everyone"and that this pause "was taken advantage of to make a number of improvements to the service". In the same article, the municipality led by Carlos Carreira promised a relaunch for "very soon, with new features and more soft mobility solutions for the citizens of Cascais and all MobiCascais users". Now, one year after the promise of brevity and three years after the pandemicHere the biCas are out again, but in a smaller format.
Note that bike rental at the kiosks has never been suspended, except at the critical moments of the pandemic, that is, in the confinements. It should also be noted that other cities like Lisbon never suspended their bike share systems; in the capital, GIRA users were made aware of bike disinfection and the system was always available, and was used both by people looking to avoid contact in public transport and for "hygienic rides".
In Cascais, despite the suspension of biCas, the city opened itself to private rental systems, namely to Ridemovi and the Birdwho started sharing electric bikes in the county in the summer of last year.
