Shared Velo bikes in Antwerp made 4,5 million trips in 2021

Last year, the Antwerp shared bicycle platform, Velo, registered a total of 4,482 million rides or 288 000 more than in 2020. In 2019, Velo still registered a total of 6,8 million rides, but the popularity of the red bikes waned when the corona crisis broke out.

In 2020, the use of Velo bikes decreased by 38% compared to 2019 due to the pandemic and its consequences, like the temporary closing of shops and restaurants, and the mandatory teleworking. Last year, Velo’s popularity increased again by 7%.

Pre-corona levels

Not only the number of rides grew again last year. Also, the number of day passes and weekly subscriptions went up: from 33 776 in 2020 to 44 658 in 2021 (day passes), and from 3 859 to 6 174 (weekly subscriptions). Still, the number of subscribers has not reached pre-corona levels yet.

According to the website of Koen Kennis (N-VA), Alderman for Mobility in Antwerp, the busiest day last year was September 24th, with 22 106 rides; the least popular day for a bicycle trip was Christmas day (with only 3 931 rides). The record day in Velo’s history was October 24th, with 27 123 rides.

Central station

The most popular trip in Antwerp is the route between the central station (Keyserlei) and the Ossenmarkt (city center). The most popular bicycle depot, by the way, is the central station. “Velo is a strong brand, and it’s impossible to imagine today’s life without the popular, red Velo bikes,” Kennis concludes.

Velo is Antwerp’s most widely used bike-sharing service. Today, the organization exploits 4 200 bicycles and has 305 depots. Users can sign up for a day (€5) or week pass (€11), or become a member for a year (€55). Velo was the first (°2010) and is the largest bicycle-sharing service in Antwerp and its districts.