Dubai’s Roads and Transport Authority (RTA) and Careem have rolled out Phase II of its bike rental service (bike-share) programme. It has added 950 pedal-assisted e-bikes (bikes operated by pedals and kinetic energy), and 95 stations.
The total number of these bikes in Dubai will double to 1,750 bikes spread across 175 stations. The multi-stage initiative aims to deploy 3,500 bikes at 350 docking stations across Dubai.
The launch of Phase II of the service makes it the first completely pedal-assisted docked bike-share initiative in the world.
The new stations will be introduced at key areas which will include the new cycling track at Jumeirah Beach, Al Safa, Dubai Canal, Dubai Marina, Al Mamzar, Al Satwa, Jumeirah 1, Al Khwaneej, Al Jaffliya, Business Bay, Dubai Internet City, and Jumeirah Lakes Towers.
More stations will come up.
Careem Bikes has reportedly completed 1,592 million trips as of February 2022, according to Dubai Media Office.
Mattar Al Tayer, director-general and chairman of the Board of Executive Directors of the RTA, said he was happy with the “growing habit of cycling as a sport and using bikes as an alternative and sustainable mean of mobility”.
He pointed out that Dubai is home to cycling tracks that total 527km. It helps support the RTA’s efforts in “boosting the integration of mass transit means by promoting flexible car-free mobility trips, and safely integrating them with daily means of transportation”.
“Thus, it serves the overall objective of reducing the use of private vehicles and switching to the use of other more sustainable means of transportation. The step will support the Dubai Government’s efforts to reduce the consumption of energy and pollution, and provide a healthier and happier environment as well as short-haul services (first- and last-mile) that help public transport riders reach their final destinations,” said Al Tayer.
Bassel Al Nahlaoui, managing director of Mobility, Careem, said the service is being expanded due to the “incredible demand we have seen for micro-mobility transport across the UAE”.
“More and more people are choosing to travel by bike, for work or leisure, and we are incredibly proud that Careem
BIKE is doubling in size to become the first completely pedal-assisted docked bike-share initiative in the world.”
The RTA intends to further extend the total length of cycling tracks in the emirate to 739km by 2026. RTA has set a speed limit of 30kph for tracks dedicated to cyclists. Tracks in urban areas dedicated to cyclists or shared with pedestrians have a speed limit of 20kph
