A man rides a bicycle at a bike-share station in Lisbon, Portugal, Sept. 19, 2017. A new bike sharing system was launched in Portuguese capital of Lisbon on Tuesday with 100 bikes at 10 stations available for public use. (Xinhua/Zhang Liyun)
LISBON, Sept. 19 (Xinhua) -- A new bike sharing system was launched in Portuguese capital of Lisbon on Tuesday with 100 bikes at 10 stations available for public use, Portuguese Lusa News Agency reported.
The scheme was trialed in June with a test phase comprising 20,000 journeys. The scheme is called Gira, which is a play on words in Portuguese, meaning "spin" and "fun".
The system is run by EMEL, the municipality body in charge of mobility and parking, and is modeled on popular bike sharing schemes in other major cities. Lisbon has been slow to adopt what has proved to be a popular initiative elsewhere, not least due to its hilly topography.
The 10 inaugural stations are located in the Parque das Nacoes neighborhood, a flat district by the Tagus river in the east of the city. There are plans for a further 130 stations to spread across the city, and a pool of 1,410 bikes, of which 940 will be electric.
The bikes are all fitted with a mobile app that will help riders find best routes, as well as available bikes and stations.
The system allows local residents to sign up to the service for 25 euros per year or 15 euros per month. Visitors can use the bikes for 10 euros per day.
