Innsbruck gives free rental bikes to uni students

The decision came from an agreement with the local students union and the city’s transport authorities

From today, students at the University of Innsbruck, Austria, will be able to ride rental bikes for free. The development came after an agreement between the university’s student union - ÖH Innsbruck – and the city’s public transport company - Innsbrucker Verkehrsbetriebe.

Students will be able to ride bikes from the city’s Stadtrad Innsbruck share system for 30 minutes at a time without any fees. Then, for every subsequent 30 minutes, they would be charged one euro.

Student mobility and sustainable habits

Many students opt to use a bike for their commute, considering that cars are usually out of their reach. Additionally, public transport can quite often come with its own setbacks, long waiting times, inconvenient connections and etc.

Bikes, however, come with their own set of challenges, one of which is storage. Many people, especially in an urban environment, lack sufficient space to safely tuck away their bikes during the night. Yet, using rental bikes can be an even greater expanse on a student’s budget.

From 1 September, students in Innsbruck will have the option to take these bikes for 30 minutes, for free. Every next thirty minutes will cost 1 euro. To get that discount, they have to register through the student union website using their official university e-mail.

Additionally, they will no longer have to pay a 39-euro annual subscription fee to the bike company.

According to a statement by the union, launching the initiative will be the start of a trial period for transport authorities to gauge the measure's popularity.

Lukas Schobesberger, deputy chairman of the ÖH Innsbruck was quoted by ORF, Austria’s national broadcaster, explaining that independent and climate-friendly mobility was a priority for the union. Additionally, it could help to decarbonise short trips and promote a healthier lifestyle for the student body.