Ljubljana region launches public e-bike rental system

A new public e-bicycle rental system has been launched in the wider region of Ljubljana in a bid to promote sustainable mobility and reduce traffic in the capital.

The system will be fully operational by 2028, CE Report quotes The Slovenia Times.

Eight municipalities and the city of Ljubljana are currently taking part in the project bicikEL or will join in soon, with 118 Nomago e-bikes to be available at 35 locations by the end of this year.

There will be docking stations in Trzin, Komenda, Škofljica, Dobrova - Polhov Gradec, Mengeš, Brezovica, Medvode and Dol pri Ljubljani.

The platform will be compatible with Ljubljana's public e-bike rental system and the system will be accessible via the existing mobile app Urbana.

Users may rent an e-bike in one municipality and return it in another, said the Regional Development Agency of the Ljubljana Urban Region, which gave the initiative for the project and coordinated it.

The e-bike may take the user all the way to their job or at least to the bus or train station closest to their home, which makes them a "great option for everyday trips," said Medvode Mayor Nejc Smole.

For an annual subscription of 25 euros users may use the system for an unlimited number of kilometres.

The municipalities agreed on the project in 2024, and at the time the investment was valued at €5.4 million. The plan is to involve the entire region by 2028 by featuring some 550 e-bikes in 21 municipalities.

The Ljubljana area is the country's biggest commuter belt with more than 140,000 people commuting there every workday, and the local authorities have been promoting alternatives to car commutes.

But for such rental systems to truly take off further bike routes are needed in the region. The regional development agency is working on this as well - ten new cross-municipal connections are to be added to the network by the end of 2029, with a total length of some 30 kilometres.

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