The Italian city is introducing a monthly rewards program to boost rates of cycling in the area, using a dedicated app and the Pin Bike kit

Source: The Florentine

Starting from June, residents or those domiciled in Florence can take advantage of the incentive scheme which aims to boost rates of cycling to work or school. Participants can earn rewards both with regular and electrically assisted bicycles, they need to be over the age of 18, study and work in the city, and work or study in the municipalities that are part of the metropolitan area, such as Bagno a Ripoli, Calenzano, Campi Bisenzio, Lastra a Signa, Scandicci, Sesto Fiorentino and Signa.

Under the banner of the “Florence for the Climate” agreement, a campaign which aims to improve air quality, the incentive scheme is reported to cost 1.2 million euros. Its goal is to increase statistics for people cycling to and from work or school, with particular routes around those commutes being eligible for the highest reimbursement at up to 0.2 euro per kilometre cycled.

For users who take more than one regular route, two routes can be assigned in the app under home/school and home/work. For journeys around more general destinations, users can still count these, so long as they are biked within the cyclist’s municipality from Monday to Friday.

The project is centered around an app and a kit developed by Pin Bike, featuring a patented anti-fraud system for certifying, monitoring, and gamifying urban routes. The kit includes a Bluetooth hardware device to verify bicycle usage, a smartphone handlebar mount, and signal lights. Users can book the kit online (with a total of 2,000 available) starting May 13 by downloading the Pin Bike app from Google Play or the Apple App Store and completing the application form. The kit can be collected from local council offices for public relations starting May 20 and will become operational on June 3. Incentives will be refunded via bank transfer and credited to the user’s current account.

There are two types of reimbursements: one for individuals transitioning from a polluting vehicle to a bicycle for commuting between home and work, and one for regular bicycle users. Individuals switching from a motor vehicle to a bicycle for their commute between home and work or school will receive €0.20 per kilometer, plus €0.05 per kilometer on general routes within the Municipality of Florence. The maximum accrual is €2 per day and €30 per month. Regular bicycle commuters will be entitled to €0.15 per kilometer for commuting and €0.05 per kilometer on general routes, with a maximum accrual of €1.20 per day and €30 per month.

Additionally, monthly prizes of up to €100 will be available for the 200 users who accumulate the most points on the app through activities such as kilometers cycled, participation in events, and completion of questionnaires.

The Pin Bike app can be downloaded from Google Play or the Apple App Store. Applications for participation in Pedala, Firenze ti premia open on the app on May 13, while the scheme will start on June 3, 2024, coinciding with World Bicycle Day, and will run until June 2, 2025.