“Oh, I can’t get a bike to get around town because it’s expensive.”
That excuse has long since been debunked.
And cheap bikes are available and second hand bikes can be found – very easily in the age of the internet – and there are countless options.
I accept that in Greek cities we don’t have the extensive shared bike systems or networks of cycle paths, but the bicycle is still the most flexible means of getting around town!
Lately there is an extra reason that makes the bicycle very versatile for moving around the city.
You don’t even have to buy a bike to pedal!
Following the trend of long-term car leasing, the well-known leasing, companies that offer bicycle and electric bicycle leasing by the month or for even longer periods of time have also appeared in Greece.
This means that a citizen – so far reluctant to limit car ownership – can try to start pedaling by choosing one of these flexible leasing schemes and stop whenever he or she wants.
Bike leasing or bike subscription first appeared in Greece in 2020.
In fact, the person who…launched it knew something about bikes! Dutchman Robbert van der Meer founded the company bFlex 4 years ago and as the name of the company (bFlex) indicates, their goal was to offer Athens flexible transportation and thus reduce traffic pollution and make bicycles accessible to more people.
The beginning was not easy.
It started just before the COVID-19 pandemic with just 2 city bikes and with little capital.
But slowly, bike by bike, by 2023 it had gathered over 1,100 subscribers in Athens. There was even a waiting list of 1,000 people! “The idea was simple: to minimize the barriers for people to start cycling.
We offer low-cost, flexible monthly subscriptions, allowing users to start and stop whenever they want.
For example, the City Bicycle subscription costs just €19.90 per month, including VAT,” explains Robbert van der Meer in the “Orthopedalia”.
Today, the bFlex model for bicycle leasing is available in Athens, Corfu, Patras and Kefalonia. “With leasing, you can try a bike for a month and, if you like it, you can continue to use it or even buy it later.
Leasing is a great option for people looking for a long-term, cost-effective solution.
It is generally cheaper than renting because it focuses on long-term use. Plus, leasing includes maintenance services and you can change or return the bike whenever you want,” he says.
But bFlex’s innovative ideas don’t stop there.
It recently opened its infrastructure to other bicycle companies and evolved into an all-in-one Bicycle Marketplace.
What did they do? Something groundbreaking. “We started working with local bike shops, providing them with software to manage short-term rentals (for tourists), subscriptions, and even used bike sales.
In addition, we offer bike tours, allowing people to explore cities with expert guides, promoting eco-friendly tourism.”
What this practically means is that bFlex with this kind of partnership gives the opportunity to rent a bike in 8 different locations around the country. In Athens, Aegina, Crete, Rhodes, Ioannina, Patras and Kefalonia, as well as in Corfu.
“In total, more than 2,000 people have registered on the bFlex platform.
source : tanea.gr
