Zukunft Fahrrad: Verband: Mietmarkt für Fahrräder noch stark ausbaufähig
Fahrräder werden in Deutschland selten für befristete Zeiträume gemietet oder für Einzelfahrten ausgeliehen. Ein Branchenverband möchte das ändern und damit auch Lieferdienste sicherer machen.
The German cycling industry association, Zukunft Fahrrad, believes the rental market for bicycles remains largely untapped. As of early September, there were 102,550 bicycles available for hourly rental via bike-sharing systems across Germany, a 1.5 percent increase from the previous year. Additionally, about 98,000 private bicycle subscriptions and up to 14,000 commercial contracts were in place, enabling companies to rent bikes for their delivery services.
This count includes both electric bikes and traditional non-motorized bicycles, but not those offered in tourist-heavy areas. Compared to the overall market, which boasts over 90 million bicycles in circulation, and with 3.8 million new bike sales this year, the rental figures are relatively small. Zukunft Fahrrad suggests boosting these offerings with tax incentives for bike subscriptions and bike-sharing schemes.
Such measures, including streamlined mobility budgets for sustainable transportation, could provide employers with a valuable tool to offer employees convenient commuting options. For food delivery services, commercial bike rentals present a safer and more reliable alternative to the illegal motorized bicycles currently in use, often Chinese-made and poorly regulated.
The industry association stresses the need for market oversight to curb these illegal activities and calls for better oversight of delivery services.
Written by urgent.news from Handelsblatt's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
