Celebrating pedal power this European Mobility Week

Celebrating pedal power this European Mobility Week

Every year, European Mobility Week works with towns and cities across the continent to improve public health and quality of life by promoting clean and sustainable transport. Alongside walking, safe cycling is the theme of this 2019 edition.

It’s no surprise to us that the simple bicycle is considered by European Mobility Week – and many others – as a solution to some of today’s common travel issues. The European bicycle market has an expected annual growth rate of 5.5% until the year 2022. It’s safe to say that pedal power is on the rise; and it’s in our cities where this trend is most clear.

Why? Our already busy road networks and public transport systems are currently under huge pressure from rapid urbanisation. Trains, trams and buses are often oversubscribed and time losses from traffic congestion across Europe are estimated to cost the continent the equivalent of 2% GDP. With more and more people living in urban areas, these issues are only becoming bigger and a greater cause of frustration for travelers.

For an increasingly environmentally, health, and cost-conscious population, the bicycle is making a big comeback. New price and service model schemes are innovating the bike sector to make it even more accessible to an even wider range of people.

At Bridgestone, we saw this opportunity and looked to address it with our own solution. So, this year we piloted Mobeflex, our electric bike subscription service, to French cities as an accessible and environmentally-friendly smart city mobility option. We found that 70 percent of French city residents were interested in alternative mobility solutions, and 72 percent believed that long-term subscription is the future of mobility[1].

For an affordable monthly fee, users can choose from a selection of premium road, mountain, urban or racing bicycles, each with quality batteries that adapt to the specific needs of each journey. In addition, the subscription includes "all-risk" coverage, which covers maintenance, possible damage and theft, as well as 24/7 breakdown assistance.

A few short months later and our electric-powered Mobeflex bicycles are already making mobility a simpler experience for our customers. Offering intelligent, affordable and environmentally friendly urban mobility, innovative solutions like Mobeflex have enhanced the accessibility and value of the bicycle, and, in doing so, improved the way people move, work and enjoy their lives.

There’s never been a better time (or excuse) to jump back on the bike and start riding with the times.

[1] Study carried out by Bridgestone on 1609 people, including a boost of 300 regular bicycle users, members of the Toluna consumer panel, according to the quota method.