In the summer of 2022, the Dutch railway company NS will begin a one-year trial for public transport E-bikes. 🚲
During the testing period, the NS will implement 30 of these electric OV-fiets (public transport bikes) at four stations in the Netherlands.
While you can get a normal OV-fiets for a daily rate of €4.15, electric bikes will cost you a good €10 to rent per 24 hours, reports RTL Nieuws. 💶
READ MORE | 19 things the Dutch did to make cycling easy and attractive
Advantages of an OV-electric bike
The E-bikes come in three modes of electric assistance: eco, normal, and high.
On a full battery, you can bike up to 110 kilometres in the eco mode, 70 kilometres in the normal setting, and 50 kilometres in the highest mode. Pretty good for a single day’s use!
Each E-bike is equipped with its own GPS tracker. Meaning it can easily be found by tracking down its location in case the e-bike ever gets stolen.
According to AD, the personal data of those using the e-bikes and the location data of the bike itself are stored separately, so the privacy of consumers isn’t threatened in any way.
Why is NS doing this?
The Head of Mobility Services — Marise Bezema — explains that they want to add e-bikes to make it easier for those travelling further distances after reaching the stations.
If the E-bikes end up being popular among travellers, the NS will consider permanently adding them to their normal stock of public transport bikes. 👀
Will you be trying one of the e-bikes this summer? Tell us in the comments below!
I have an ebike and love it especially going against wind the assist is great