Benidorm rules out reviving the bike rental service

Regarding its municipal bike rental program, Benidorm Council has changed its mind. During the most recent meeting of the Mobility Council, which took place on Thursday, September 11th, they said that they would not be providing a subsidy for its funding and would instead use it to build new smart bike parking facilities. As a result, this service, which they previously offered and which is integrated into a number of large cities, will not be coming back anytime soon.

For the “Benidorm Visión 360” project, which included the possibility of resuming municipal bicycle rentals, the City Council was awarded a European grant. Additionally, this project helps to encourage the sustainable usage of the city’s bike lanes. But the local government has chosen to forgo it, at least in terms of using this grant to pay for it.

The Mobility Council states that the €544,239 will be used to install more parking spaces for these cars. They note that the European funds had two choices: parking or rental, and they finally chose the latter.

They used technical evaluations that found the service would be “very detrimental to the municipal coffers,” according to a statement, to make this conclusion. The “significant increase” in the use of private bicycles is another factor. Speaking to residents exclusively, Mayor Toni Pérez clarified that doing so “would not only be detrimental but would violate the rules for obtaining the subsidy, which stipulate that it must be a tourist service, which in turn would force us into competition with private companies.”

To address this, additional smart parking has been established, “which is yielding magnificent results because many people are choosing bicycle mobility due to the safety offered by the city and this type of parking,” the mayor said. In fact, additional of these bike parking spots will be available by June 2026, and the City Council will soon ask for a change to the project to make room for them. When asked about this move, Francis Muñoz, a Mobility Councillor, responded that they will keep an eye on how the service develops in other areas.

As reported in January, the City Council had already begun to write the new service’s specifications, which included the supply of 150 pedal-assisted (electric) bicycles, around 20 loaner stations, and access through an app. They had already stated at the time that it would be “more” focused towards residents, providing them with discounts, and that it would not become a rival to “other companies.”

This kind of service was already available in Benidorm, as you may remember, which made it easier for locals to obtain. The contract for urban furniture that ended in 2018 included it. The City Council decided to start it independently for eight years two years later, but the contract was never fulfilled. Although it hasn’t yet figured out how to make it happen, the local PP government has since made it clear that it intends to bring this service back.

Author: Derek Appleton