As of spring 2014, a new bicycle rental service will be introduced in the Slovak capital, Bratislava, City Transport Committee chairman Jozef Uhler informed. The new system will allow cyclists to rent a bike in one place, use it and then return it at a different place. The locations of the bicycle stations have not been determined yet. "There are places which are a must, for example, railway stations. Talks will be held also with shopping malls, too, so we can ascertain whether or not they're interested. The network must connect the most important nodes in the city centre," explained Uhler.
The bicycles will be produced with special modifications in order to prevent their disassembly, theft and destruction. "These will be special bicycles, manufactured solely for this purpose. No part is to be compatible with other bikes, making theft of individual parts senseless."
How much it will cost is yet to be seen. However, according to Uhler prices must be set at such a level as not to drive people away. "No one wants to usher in a system set up for failure because it's too expensive. It needs to pose significant competition to driving a car short distances," he claimed, adding that the use of the bike for maybe the first ten minutes will be free of charge. "Statistics available from other cities show that bicycle rides usually don't take more than 7-8 minutes. When Bratislavans will need to travel only these couple of hundreds metres, they'll be able to rent the bicycles for free."
