Instead of the 79-kuna annual pass, new pricing options will be introduced next year.
Croatian public bicycle system Nextbike, which has more than 20,000 customers and 450 bicycles in Croatia, will soon launch a public bicycle system in Vukovar, and in 2018 it will expand its business to Banja Luka, Bosnia and Herzegovina, the company's CEO Krešimir Dvorski said in an interview for Hina, Poslovni.hr reports on August 26, 2017.
"Our operation in Vukovar will start on September 14, then on September 16 we will have a bicycle race from Velika Gorica to Zagreb and back, on September 22 or 23 there will be a traditional bike ride in Zagreb, the 'špica', and we will organise a free cycling school in Zagreb and possibly somewhere else in between," Mr Dvorski said. Ten other cities will become part of the Nextbike public bicycle system in Croatia next year.
Nextbike public system in Croatia and the situation in Zagreb
Nextbike is currently present in 15 Croatian cities and it has won a public tender for Banja Luka, which will become the third city in B&H (after Sarajevo and Tuzla) to launch a public bicycle system in spring, 2018.
"We have 6,000 registered users in B&H and more than 20,000 in Croatia," says Mr Dvorski, who founded the company four years ago.
"As the first Croatian city with a public bicycle system, Zagreb now has 21 stations, and when we first started, there were six. Unfortunately, the number of bikes hasn't changed - we still have a hundred bicycles because we have been waiting for four years for the city to announce a new tender. And without the right cooperation with the City, which includes financial support, we cannot expand," Dvorski says. On the other hand, Mr Dvorski is very happy with the tandem bicycle that they offer, which is extremely popular among tourists.
Nextbike Croatia, Facebook
He believes that Zagreb needs 500 bicycles and 50 stations, but the company needs the City's help to accomplish that.
There are 450 bicycles and 75 stations in Croatia in total, including the ones in Vukovar.
The 79-kuna annual pass will change next year, with new pricing options introduced - price per hour, per week, that foreign tourists might find useful, and an annual pass, which would be slightly more expensive than it is now, but it would also offer more services.
When it comes to cycling paths, Dvorski says that in 2013, when Nextbike started, they weren't satisfactory, but some improvement has been made, especially in cases where EU funds were used.
The situation in Zagreb is better than in other Croatian cities, but he points out that Zagreb should follow Ljubljana's model and do more. He also notes that there are only three employees in the company because they can't afford more.
Safety of public bicycles in public transport
No bicycles or their parts have been stolen, and no accidents involving Nextbike bicycles have been reported. He also explained how the seats from their bicycles cannot be stolen because they are protected, meaning that Nextbike is the safest mode of public transport.
Nextbike success and vision
The Nextbike public bicycle system has won Croatian Employers' Association (HUP) award for socially responsible businesses, in the small business and environmental protection category with their project "Reducing CO2 emissions".
"It's not about the prize, we aim to develop a bike-sharing network that would be satisfactory for every potential user, and it is currently not satisfactory in any Croatian city. It doesn't mean that we are not happy with the results of our work, but there is surely plenty of room for improvement," says Mr Dvorski.
"We have to try and to bring our service quality to a higher level, and, on the other hand, we hope that the public administration will ensure more locations for our stations," he adds.
Their ultimate goal is to create an integrated public transport network so that people can use a single platform to navigate it; nowadays, it's a mobile app, but who knows what type of technological invention will be available in a few years, so that the entire trip from destination A to B can be planned in advance.
Public bicycle system on a winter break
Continental cities usually have a winter break, in Zagreb and surrounding towns it is December - January, while towns with harsh winters, such as Gospić and Brinje Municipality, will have a winter break from October to April.
The Netxtbike system in coastal cities such as Šibenik and Zadar will stay operational all year long, while in Makarska, Lastovo, Metkovic and Poreč, there will also be a three to four-month winter break, Mr Dvorski says. The break is also an opportunity for the annual bicycle maintenance service to take place.
Translated from Poslovni.hr.
