City bike season in Vantaa to start in June

Vantaa will launch its own city bike service in June. There will be 1,000 bikes at 100 city bike stations. The stations will be placed in key locations and employment centers in Tikkurila, Koivukylä, Aviapolis, Myyrmäki, Martinlaakso and Kivistö. The Vantaa system will not be compatible with the system in Helsinki and Espoo and customers cannot mix bikes from the two systems.

 “The city of Vantaa has drawn up a city bike station network plan, in which the stations spread over a rather large area around the Ring Rail Line. The city provides the racks and the service provider, CityBike Vantaa, provides the information pylons and bikes. The objective is that residents can use the bikes both as part of their public transport journeys and as an independent mode of transport,” says Heikki Alkila, traffic engineer at the City of Vantaa.

Whole season for 25 euros

The first city bike season will run from 17 June until the end of October. Because the first season is shorter, the fee for the whole season is only 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, there is a additional charge of €1 for each additional 30 minutes. The maximum time of use in 5 hours.

Passes for the whole season will only be available through HSL’s city bike website, while daily and weekly passes will be available on the city bike website or using CityBike Vantaa mobile app. The app will also allow customers to pay for single rides. These are charged per minute. There is an initial charge of one euro and a charge of 10 cents per minute. Customers can release a bike from a station either using their HSL card or the CityBike Vantaa mobile app.

“Unfortunately, the Vantaa service is not integrated with the service in Helsinki and Espoo. On the other hand, it is good to gain experience of a different type of service for the purposes of a potential future regional city bike system,” says Tarja Jääskeläinen from HSL.

“We wanted the tendering process to be equal for everyone. Our goal was to get a well-functioning and cost effective system,” says Heikki Alkila.

Information about the opening of the registration and the launch of the service will be provided later. The City of Vantaa is responsible for the city bike service. The service provider is CityBike Vantaa. HSL is responsible for marketing and online services and Clear Channel Suomi Oy is responsible for selling ad space and for partnerships.

City bike stations in Vantaa

How to use Vantaa city bikes

1.    Register
at hsl.fi/kaupunkipyörät/vantaa if you want to buy a season, daily or weekly pass. Select whether to use your HSL card or the CityBike Vantaa app to pick up a bike at a bike station. If you use your HSL card, enter your card number.
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
Voit ajaa 30 minuuttia kerrallaan ilman lisämaksua. Polje aina pyörätiellä tai ajoradalla. Jalkakäytävällä taluta pyörää.
Tarvittaessa voit taukolukita pyörän matkasi aikana. Laita lukitussalpa kiinni pinnojen välistä. Jos käytät sovellusta, valitse tämän jälkeen ”Tauko”. Huomaathan, että veloitus ei keskeydy. Saat avattua pyörän lukon joko HSL-kortilla (jos olet kytkenyt sen käyttäjätiliisi) tai valitsemalla CityBike Vantaan sovelluksesta ”Lopeta tauko” ja skannaamalla pyörän lukkolaitteessa olevan QR-koodin.

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.