Oeiras' municipal bike-sharing network has arrived. It starts with a free trial phase, 10 stations and 50 bikes.
It was this Sunday, September 24th, that the municipality of Oeiras inaugurated its public bike-sharing systemby activating the first 10 seasons and making the first all-electric bicycles available. Managed by Parques Tejo, the Oeiras municipal mobility company, the system will be free of charge in the first phase.
Oeiras' municipal bike-sharing network now includes three stations on the recent Medrosa cycle pathwhich connects the Oeiras train station to NOVA SBE University and Praia da Torre; with five stations between Paço de Arcos train station and Porto Salvoalong the Ciclovia Empresarial; and two stations between the Algés bus station and the Miraflores Urban Park. A eleventh station at Praia de Santo Amaro de Oeiraswhich can be used with the Oeiras station.
(It should be noted that the two stations located in the Algés area are, for the time being, the closest bike-sharing stations to the Restelo neighborhood, where, as a result of opposition from the Belém Parish Council, four GIRA stations have yet to open for over a year).
In this first phase, in addition to the 11 stations with six docks each, the following will be available 50 electric bikesIn the near future (by 2024), the network is expected to have 40 stations and 120 bicycles. All Oeiras Move stations are equipped with video surveillance, unlike the GIRA stations, which will help prevent vandalism. The entire system is managed by Parques Tejo, the Oeiras municipal mobility company, through its brand Oeiras Move - a model similar to Lisbon's, where EMEL, the capital's municipal mobility company, is responsible for GIRA.
Like GIRA, the Oeiras Move network is accessible via a mobile application, available for Android e iOS. This app, precisely called Oeiras Move, aims to be the "digital hub" for all mobility in the municipalityThe Oeiras Move app brings together in a single interface car parking (on-street and in a park), electric vehicle charging, the municipal shared bicycle network, bicycles and scooters from private operators, public transport and also cabs and TVDEs. As it is still under development, most of the functionalities of the Oeiras Move app are not yet available; for now, it only works for municipal bicycles and street parking.
Using the Oeiras municipal bicycle network is similar to using the GIRA network: simply open the Oeiras Move app, select the "Bikesharing" option and click on the "Start route" button that appears at the bottom of the screen. From here, you scan the QR code or type in the bike's number to unlock it; finally, just take it out of the dock - carefully, of course.
The bikes have a front basket for carrying light loads, and a lock for short stops. There are three manual gearboxes and an electric assist that helps with starts and climbs, switching off at 25 km/h in accordance with national and European regulations. There is no way to turn off the assistance or level it. The seat has 10 height positions and a small suspension.
To finish a trip, you need to leave your bike in an available (empty) dock and confirm that it has been secured. But that's not enough. You also have to end the journey in the app by clicking on "End journey" and taking a photo of the parked bike. If you don't do these steps (i.e. if you just leave the bike at the dock but don't finish the journey in the app), the vehicle won't be available for someone else to use. Parques Tejo says it is aware of this situation and that it is something it wants to correct, so that the automatic end of trip when the bike is parked in the dockwithout the person needing their cell phone. At the moment, as the Oeiras Move app is still under development, there is no way to consult travel history or other information while using it. Parques Tejo also says it is working on these aspects.
At this stage, use of the system is free, but limited to a maximum of five consecutive hoursHowever, it should be borne in mind that these bikes are designed for short journeys, not long rides. Parques Tejo has not yet defined a timetable for using the bicycle network and says it will do so based on the data it collects from people using the network. There is also no date set (or at least communicated) for the end of the free period; the aim is the same: to learn from use and draw lessons from it.
A maintenance and balancing of bicycles in the bike-sharing network will be carried out by a company contracted for this purpose and also by the teams that Parques Tejo already has for parking meter maintenance. The latter will be responsible for minor maintenance and balancing bicycles in docks; major maintenance and checking for faults will be carried out by a contracted company.
If you have any problems, you can contact Parques Tejo at 215 990 000 (available 24 hours) or by e-mail geral@parquestejo.pt. The regulations for using the Oeiras municipal bike-sharing network are still being finalized and will be available in the future.
The inauguration of Oeiras' shared bicycle system coincided with the inauguration of the new Medrosa cycle path, a 1.5 km bidirectional axis which, despite not being the most linear (it forces cyclists to cross the road several times), offers a safe connection between Oeiras train station and Praia da Torre, and also connects two excellent educational facilities, NOVA SBE and NCI Academy. The Oeiras City Council plans to create 50 km of cycle paths in the municipality, including on the Marginal.
