As of June 5, all Lisbon residents with a Navegante pass will be able to use Gira bicycles for free, in a modality that began this Friday for young and old who already have a free pass.
It was not the first attempt, but Inês managed to associate the number of the free Navegante subscription to the EMEL bicycles in the Lisbon Mobility and Parking Company application, and was therefore able to travel by Gira free of charge around the city. .
Inês was the first to experience the integration of the Gira system with the Navegante pass, which as of this Friday is available to all young residents of Lisbon, over 16 and under 23 years of ageand also for the citizens older than 65 yearswho already have this free pass.
According to the mayor, Carlos Moedas (PSD), the objective is to advance the measures for the decarbonization of the city, therefore, from June 5, the initiative will also be available to all Lisbon residents who purchase the pass.
“All of them, to this day, under 23 and over 65, just get here in the app, prove you have the free Navigator pass and it’s free [o uso das bicicletas Gira]. The others have to prove that they live in Lisbon and, therefore, from June 5, by going to EMEL stores, they prove that they live in Lisbon and it will also be free [o uso de bicicletas]”, explained Carlos Moedas, noting that proof of residence in EMEL stores can be done with “an electricity bill or any other household bill” that proves residence.
Although no inspection is planned, Carlos Moedas is confident that Lisbon residents will continue to have the responsibility of leaving their bicycles stored at a dock, especially since “very few cases of this lack of responsibility” are known.
The mayor also affirmed that the initiative “is a movement” that is part of “the set of what is the decarbonization of the city and that it began with free public transport” and will now move to soft mobility”.
“It is now my objective, as mayor, my objective as a politician, that in the future there will be free public transport in general. Now it has to be step by step, it has to be gradual,” he added.
Carlos Moedas defended that the entire Lisbon Metropolitan Area should be an example and start the path towards free public transport for adults and children, but recognized that this “It depends on the other mayors.”
The new modality of free access to the Tours was presented in a small ceremony next to one of the six new stations with docking stations, in Telheiras, in the Lumiar parish, between Professor Carlos Teixeira street and Professor Simões Raposo street, with space for 16 bicycles.
In addition to this new station, another five stations were opened this Friday, two in Santa Maria Maior –in Doca da Marinha (with 40 spaces) and in Ribeira das Naus (with 27)-; in Carnide, next to the Metro (20 spaces); in São Domingos de Benfica, between Avenida Columbano Bordalo Pinheiro and Rua de Campolide (17 seats); and at Benfica, between Rua Tenente Coronel Ribeiro dos Reis and Rua Conde de Almoster (17 seats).
In Lisbon, according to the City Council, there are already a total of 2,840 parking bays.
The Gira number is around 1,000 bicycles and the goal, according to Carlos Moedas, is to double the number, to 2,000.
Source: Observadora
