Jerusalem residents have already become accustomed to seeing the blue-colored stands fixed to the sidewalks in many places in the city, to which are attached pairs of bicycles, both regular and electric.
These are, of course, the positions of the 'Europan', which tell the story of the revolution in personal transportation in Jerusalem, in which thousands enjoy accessible transportation - via professional bicycles, without the need to be subject to public transportation schedules, cheaply, and in an experiential manner that also contributes to physical and mental health.
The municipality, for its part, encourages the trend, and under its auspices, more and more stands have been established in central locations in the city, with demand proving the power of the gospel and the Jerusalem revolution.
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The public votes with their feet – as the saying goes, in this case, literally.
The municipality has recently been working to add six new Europcar stations on the light rail route, and to increase the number of bicycles at all rental stations in the city, in light of the upcoming three-month period, during which, as is known, the light rail will not operate in the section between the Central Station and Givat HaMevitar, and thus the traveling public is offered the simple and available option of cycling from one point to another.
But alongside this, the real revolution is in the dramatic renewal of the bike rental option. Normally, the rental is carried out using the 'Europan' app, which the renter downloads to his smartphone, and through which he carries out the activity of releasing the bike, returning it to the docking station, and paying at the end of the rental.
The Eurofan app is considered very user-friendly and provides a high user experience, but for the ultra-Orthodox public, many of whom abstain from using smart devices in principle, the rental option has become irrelevant. Thus, many members of this public, who naturally should have seen bicycles as an efficient and available solution, were not at all aware of it and its virtues.
Now the Jerusalem Municipality and Europan are announcing the good news: the rental option has expanded, and it can now also be done via a phone call!
The method is simple and easy: one-time and initially, one must enter the 'Europan' website (which is open at all filtering levels, and can also be accessed from computer rooms), and there register for the service.
As part of the registration, the user will be asked to update their name, email address, and phone number - also kosher, and if they plan to rent an electric bicycle, they will also be asked to upload a photo of an ID card (ID card/passport/driver's license) to prove their age - over 16. At this opportunity, the user will also update their credit card details, through which payment will be made.
From here, the process becomes easy and simple: the user arrives at the 'Europan' stand, and from there dials the *8230 hotline, which is staffed 24 hours a day with human operators. He will identify himself using the phone number he updated in the registration, provide the number of the docking station where he is standing, and the number of bicycles he wishes to rent.
The operator, remotely controlled, will release the pair of bicycles and in effect open an active rental for him, while providing him with an explanation of the locking methods and the obligation to return the bicycles to an organized docking station. The rental ends automatically, when the bicycles are returned to the docking station and locked to the holder.
And that's not all: the municipality is also subsidizing the cost of the rental during this period, and is providing a free three-month subscription, a subscription that significantly reduces the cost of the rental: bicycle rental for 2 shekels instead of 5 shekels, and the cost of a minute of riding at a rate of 30 shekels instead of 75 shekels.
The municipality summarizes the leverage of Europan's activity with satisfaction, and hopes that the new steps will lead to increased bicycle use in the city and ease traffic congestion on its roads, while providing a viable and safe option for Jerusalem residents.
""I am sure," says Mayor Moshe Leon, "that Jerusalemites will discover this experience and connect with it. Now that we have also worked to connect owners of kosher phones to this possibility, I hope - and even recommend - to the residents of Jerusalem: Go to the rental stations, get yourself a pair of bicycles, and your next trip to your place of study or work, to an appointment in the city center, or to a personal meeting - simply do it with the pedals. It is healthy, fun, fast - and will benefit us all. Have a good trip.".
