Pegas to launch smart bike sharing service Ape Rider after EUR 3 mln investment

Georgeta Gheorghe 10/05/2018 | 09:38

Pegas Workshops will launch in Bucharest the most innovative bike sharing system in Romania, Ape Rider powered by Pegas. The mobile rental system with mobile applications has no predefined parking lots and is part of the global trend of smart bike sharing.

The investment in Ape Rider amounts to EUR 3 million, and includes special bicycle production for bike sharing, the cost of the software application, the integrated anti-theft system, project team costs, and Ape Rider’s logistics.

“We have been talking about this system for a year, and all the discussion partners are more than pleased with the innovation we bring to the local alternative transport market. Cities suffer more and more from because of traffic, and what we propose is a healthy alternative to solving the transport problem. In fact, according to the definition of bike sharing, the bicycles you hire should solve the last kilometres of the route between points A and B, so this bicycle rental system can belong to an integrated urban mobility system, which, if well organized it can lead to a decrease in car traffic,” explains Andrei Botescu, co-founder of Pegas Workshops, the Ape Rider program.

The Ape Rider app is currently available in Google Play and the App Store. After installing it, the user needs to register using a bank card, and place a RON 69 deposit. The amount is refunded once the application is removed. Next, a map of available bicycles and virtual bike parking lots are uploaded to your phone. At this time of the project, a number of Ape Rider virtual car parks were created for users to can park their bike. If the virtual parking limit is exceeded, payment is not stopped. The costs are RON 1.9 lei per 30 minutes. Unlocking the bike is done by scanning the QR code that is available on a bicycle, and the user can close the ride by manually closing the securing system at the rear wheel.

“We expect to have over 100,000 Ape Rider users by the end of the year. Surely, the Ape Rider powered by Pegas mobile bike service will solve a major urban mobility issue, so we estimate that the number of users, at least for Bucharest, will grow rapidly, especially if we relate to the number of inhabitants of Bucharest and to the number of commuters moving from the border areas to the city center, “ adds Andrei Botescu.

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