Izmir Metropolitan Municipality has implemented the free shared bicycle application for its employees in order to make bicycle transportation a corporate culture and to spread it throughout the city. Thanks to the application, it is aimed for municipal employees to use the bicycle as a primary means of transportation, especially to and from work.
Mayor of Izmir Metropolitan Municipality Tunç SoyerIn line with the aim of increasing the use of bicycles in urban transportation, Izmir Metropolitan Municipality Department of Transportation has started a shared bicycle application within the municipality in order to make bicycle transportation a corporate culture. Thanks to the application, the personnel within the body of Izmir Metropolitan Municipality will now be able to benefit from the bicycle rental service free of charge with their personnel card. Bicycles will be able to be used in urban transportation, especially to and from work. The project will also contribute to reducing the carbon footprint in the city.
“We will produce projects that can carry İzmir into the future”
Reminding that bicycle transportation is a healthy means of transportation as well as being environmentally friendly, Kadir Efe Oruç, Head of Transportation Department of Izmir Metropolitan Municipality, said, “We are trying to develop the bicycle network, especially in order to ease the urban traffic in daily transportation and to bring people to the points they want to reach in a more pleasant way. As everyone knows, our president Tunç Soyer He goes to work by bike every day. In order to make this culture more visible in the city and to make it a corporate culture, we are putting the shared bicycle system into use within the Bicycle Chiefdom of our Sustainable Transportation Planning Directorate. These include both physical and electric bicycles. Izmir Metropolitan Municipality personnel will be able to use these bicycles free of charge by using their corporate card. We will continue to spread this culture and develop transportation projects that will carry İzmir to an environmentally friendly and clean future.”
“We will also include electric bicycles in the system”
Kadir Efe Oruç, who stated that the works to strengthen the bicycle infrastructure of İzmir will continue rapidly, said, “We have integrated projects throughout the city to reduce the effects of the climate crisis and to promote sustainable and environmentally friendly transportation. We are also developing alternative strategies for the use of bicycles. In order to popularize bicycle transportation, we continue the application of 5 cents in sea transportation. We have a bicycle network of 111 kilometers in the city, mainly on the coastline. We have doubled the number of BISIM stations, our shared bicycle network that has been used in İzmir since 2014, to reach 60. We have nearly a thousand BISIM bicycles, including tandem and children's bicycles for our visually impaired citizens. Together with our team, we have approached the final stage regarding the electric shared bike system. From now on, citizens of Izmir will encounter electric shared bicycles at points such as transfer stations and busy squares and piers. Therefore, the bicycle will now be more comfortable and easily accessible even for long distances in the city.”
“Like our Bronze President, now we come to work by bicycle”
Using the application, İzmir Metropolitan Municipality personnel, who prefer bicycle transportation in their daily transportation and social activities, shared their experiences with the following words;
Ayçin Vural: “I like to use the bike in my daily life. I think it is a big advantage for public transport. Again, being able to use the bike at the weekend was a great advantage. We can also spend time on the bike at the weekend. We knew that there was a need for such an application in a city like İzmir. We know and see that our President Tunç also uses the bicycle both on the way to work and in his daily life. Thank you for giving us this opportunity. Just like our Tunç president, we now commute by bike.”
My life has become easier
Deniz Topal: “First of all, integrating cycling has made my life much easier while using public transportation for commuting. KarşıyakaI live in I had to transfer first by bus, then by ferry, and then again. Thanks to the bike, I skip the transfers. At the same time, I can get on the ferries by bicycle for 5 cents. It also allows me to do sports. It is very advantageous for me, I am very happy.”
Cycling instead of public transport
Serbay Tatar: “I heard that this application was made by our Department of Transportation. I think it's a very good application. I KarşıyakaI live in. I used the subway, tram, ferry to come to work. We saw people commuting to work abroad by bicycle. There were also some applications in Turkey. This practice has also increased awareness for us. I sincerely want my other colleagues to prefer bicycle transportation as well.”
Özgür Kartal: “The application is very good. It will be useful for the staff. I believe there will be a lot of demand. Because there are many friends who love bicycles, use BISIM, and want to commute by bicycle. I used my own bike to commute to work. But unfortunately my bike was stolen. I will use this app until I get a new bike.”