In Braga, you can get paid to ride a bike

The money can be spent in local shops

The Portuguese city of Braga is looking for 500 bike users to take part in a European project, called “Bicification – The Future on Two Wheels”. There will be a benefit for participation as cyclists will be able to earn money depending on the distances they have covered within the city.

“The more you drive, the more you collect” is the message of the project, from which each user can earn a maximum of 28 euros per month. In addition, the cash can be spent in local shops which is also a way to give a boost to the town’s SME economy.

Promoting a culture of soft mobility

Through a GPS system and the associated mobile application, it will be possible to monitor the trips made by bicycle. This is how the progress that makes it possible to offer financial incentives will be tracked. The monitoring will be carried out on a centralized data platform.

To join the project, all you need to do is live or work in Braga, be over 15 years old and own a bicycle and a smartphone. Applications must be made online by 31 May.

For the mayor of Braga, Ricardo Rio, the project aims to contribute to the promotion of a culture of soft mobility in the city, “ensuring a coexistence of means of transport of different types and for different audiences.

“This is yet another incentive to promote more environmentally friendly modes of transport, to the detriment of the car,” he said, as quoted by The Portugal News.

Bicification is an initiative of the European Institute of Innovation and Technology (EIT), an institution of the European Union. In addition to the city of Braga, Istanbul (Turkey) and Tallinn (Estonia) have also joined the project.