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Electric bike share system coming to Brussels

22:44 28/08/2017

Electric bicycles, or e-bikes, are gaining popularity worldwide, and Brussels is not about to miss out on the trend. A new e-bike sharing scheme is set to arrive in the capital from September, writes De Standaard.

Two years ago, mobility minister Pascal Smet pointed out that cycling in Brussels is not only a challenge due to the lack of infrastructure, but also due to the city's many hills, and he suggested the e-bike as a possible solution. The city will finally give the e-bike a go, with Billy Bikes. The first bikes will be available in Ixelles, Etterbeek and part of the city centre, reports Bruzz which talked with the founders Pierre De Schaetzen and Guillaume Verhaeghe.

Unlike the well known Villo bike system, there will be no fixed stations. Users can track the nearest parked bicycle via the app (which also provides the code to unlock the bicycle) and return it to the designated area. Use of the e-bike costs €0.15 per minute, and payment is made by credit card.

As soon as one of the batteries drops below 20% capacity, the Billy Bike automatically goes offline, and someone is sent to charge the battery.

Written by Robyn Boyle