City bike season in Vantaa to kick off on 17 June

The city bikes will hit the streets of Vantaa on 17 June. On that day, a separate registration path will be opened for the service in Vantaa as part of the HSL city bike website at hsl.fi/kaupunkipyorat/vantaa.

The Vantaa city bikes will be three-gear basic bikes with white frames. They are equipped with front baskets and hand brakes. The City of Vantaa will supply the cycle racks for the bike stations. Each station will also have an information board marked with the yellow city bike symbol providing instructions for the users.

“Launching a new type of service requires much work and cooperation with a large number of actors. All parties want to have an easy-to-use city bike service improving the mobility of both local residents and people visiting Vantaa,” explains Tarja Jääskeläinen, senior advisor at HSL.

 “Originally, our aim was to launch the service on 3 June but at the last minute, we realized that everything would not be ready by that date. We decided to postpone the opening by two weeks to ensure that the service would be fully operational,” says Heikki Alkila, traffic engineer at the City of Vantaa.

Alepa selected as the principal partner of the Vantaa city bike scheme

The Alepa grocery store chain of the HOK Elanto cooperative will be the principal partner in the Vantaa city bike scheme. It has also been the partner in similar schemes in Helsinki and Espoo from the outset. The funding provided by Alepa will help to keep the costs of the scheme at reasonable levels for both the City of Vantaa and the service users. The corporate identity of the partner is visible in the bikes and at bike stations.

 “We are extremely happy that Alepa has been selected as the principal partner in the Vantaa city bike scheme. This means that this coming summer, there will be a total of 4,450 Alepa bikes in the streets of Vantaa, Helsinki and Espoo.  As a cooperative, our main task is to develop and enhance the services, wellbeing and everyday amenities of the people living in our area. Alepa bikes are a quick, urban-oriented, youthful and ecological means of mobility and thus they are also a perfect match for our brand,” explains Merja Mustonen, Alepa’s chain director.

The official opening of the city bike season in Vantaa will take place in Myyrmäki on 18 June between 3.30pm and 6pm. There will be short speeches by representatives of the city bike partners, raffles and a surprise performer. Snacks will also be served. You will get a preview of the Vantaa city bikes at the event marking the removal of the Tikkurilankoski dam on 3 June and in the Kivistö carnival on 9 June.

In the first year, the fee for the whole season is 25 euros

A total of 1,000 city bikes will be available at 100 bike stations. The stations will be placed in key locations and employement centers in Tikkurila, Koivukylä, Aviapolis, Myyrmäki, Martinlaakso and Kivistö. A separate user fee is charged for the service in Vantaa and the bikes in Vantaa cannot be used interchangeably with the bikes in Helsinki and Espoo.

Because of the construction of the service and delays in the work, the first season will only start on week 25. The season will run until the end of October. Because of the late start, the fee for the whole season will be 25 euros. In the future, the season will start in April and the planned fee is 30 euros. A daily pass costs 5 euros, a weekly pass 10 euros. All passes allow unlimited up to 30-minute bike rides during their validity. For longer rides, a fee of one euro is charged for each additional 30 minutes. The maximum time of use in 5 hours.

Passes for the whole season will only be available on the HSL city bike website, while the daily and weekly passes can be purchased both on the city bike website and the CityBike Vantaa mobile app. You can also use the app to pay single rides, which are charged on a per-minute basis. The fee is one euro plus an additional fee of 10 cents for each minute.

The city bike service is the responsibility of the City of Vantaa and CityBike Vantaa acts as the service provider. HSL is responsible the for marketing of the city bikes and the online service. Clear Channel Suomi is responsible for advertisement media and partnerships. The Alepa grocery store chain of HOK Elanto is the principal partner in the city bike scheme.

Vantaa city bike stations

 

How to use Vantaa city bikes

1.    Register
at hsl.fi/kaupunkipyörät/vantaa if you want to buy a season, daily or weekly pass. If you want to use your HSL card to pick up a bike at a bike station, enter your HSL card number. You can also pick up a bike using the CityBike Vantaa app. Please note that the registration for the Vantaa service will open when the service is launched.
OR
using the CityBike Vantaa app if you want to buy a daily or weekly pass, or to pay for short time use of a bike per minute.

2.    Pick up
You can see the locations of bike stations and availability of bikes on the map of stations on the city bike website, in the Journey Planner and on the CityBike Vantaa app. If you have linked your HSL card to your user account, unlock a bike by showing your HSL card to the card reader in the middle of the handlebar. If you use the CityBike Vantaa app, open the app and scan the QR code on the lock on the rear wheel to unlock the bike. Lift up the locking bolt and insert it in the hole above the lock for the duration of your ride.

3.    Ride

You can ride a bike for up to 30 minutes at a time with no extra fee. Always ride on the bicycle lanes or on the roadway. Walk your bike on the pavement.

If you want to take a break, you can lock the bike temporarily. Insert the locking bolt between the spokes. If you are using the app, select “Break”. Please note that we will continue to charge you for your journey. You can unlock the bike either with your HSL card (if you have linked it to your user account) or using the CityBike Vantaa app. If using the app, select “End break” and scan the QR code on the lock.

4.    Return
Return the bike to any city bike station in Vantaa. Push the bike into a dock and lock it with the cable. If the dock is full, leave the bike next to another city bike. Wrap the cable around the rack or around another bike and slide the locking bolt into the lock between the wheel spokes of the bike you are returning. A beep signals that the bike is securely docked. If you are using the CityBike Vantaa app, select “End ride” on the app. You get a confirmation that your ride has ended through the app. If you are using the HSL card, you can confirm your ride has ended correctly by checking your ride history on your personal city bike page.

If you are a season pass holder, you can see your user information and ride history by logging in at hsl.fi/kaupunkipyörät. If you are using the CityBike Vantaa app, you can view your information on the app.