New season, new tariff – from 1st of April

Dear residents of Žilina,

in order to improve the service and increase the availability of BikeKIA shared bicycles, the project investor Nadácia Kia Motors Slovakia and the City of Žilina have decided to change one of the main conditions for using this service. From April 1, 2021, when the third season of operation of this service starts, the basic time tariff will change from the original 60 minutes to 30 minutes. Users will therefore be able to use BIkeKIA bicycles for 30 minutes free of charge, with the obligation to return them to the official location by the end of the basic time tariff of 30 minutes.

This change in the tariff is intended to eliminate the possibility of using the bicycle for a purpose other than to move from point A to point B within the city of Žilina in order to increase the availability and sustainability of the service. The use of shared bicycles “for fun” and the rental of more than 30 minutes used to reduce the availability of bicycles for users who would like to use them for short transfers within the city, and at the same time such use has had a negative impact on the sustainability of the system.

The decision to change the time tariff is based on an analysis of the system’s statistics for 2019. The analysis was prepared by the Faculty of Civil Engineering of the University of Žilina in Žilina. The analysis shows, among other things, that 87.5% of borrowings lasted less than 30 minutes and the statistical indicator of the average length of borrowing is at the level of 16 minutes. At the same time, the analysis confirmed that bicycle damage occurs mainly with longer rentals.

Excessive wear and damage to bicycles causes increased operating costs and worsens the financial sustainability of the service. The system operator, Arriva Slovakia, as well as the city of Žilina, together with the Kia Motors Slovakia Foundation, hope this decision will increase the efficiency of the service and at the same time will improve the availability and the lifetime of the bicycles.

The sanction system related to non-compliance with the time tariff remains unchanged – the service fee for exceeding the set 30-minute tariff remains at € 20, while for every additional 1 hour the user will be charged the same fee of € 20, but at a maximum daily amount of € 100, as it has been so far. You can find the updated tariff on our website HERE.

We believe that users will easily get used to the new tariff – the goal is to have bike sharing in Zilina as a popular alternative way for transport in the city for the longest time possible.