We often like to talk about the high culture of Europeans and how far it is before us. However, as the Viennese experience shows, this "culture" works only with a well thought out system of encouragement and punishment.
The first attempt to organize a free rental of bicycles in the Austrian capital was unsuccessful. The goals, as always, were the best: the ecology and the improvement of the transport situation in the metropolis. Advertising firm Gewista together with city authorities built bicycle terminals in which to use this vehicle it was possible on a lien basis, almost like a cart in a supermarket. I threw two EUR into the terminal and unfastened myself. I do not want to go!
And here the culture of the townspeople failed: in a couple of weeks 1,500 bicycles were put on the wanted list. Attempts to appeal to the sense of civic duty were also unsuccessful. The citizens apprehended with hostility the calls to report their neighbors who rode on "privatized property," which was easy to distinguish by the bright color and logo of the owner.
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Having drawn conclusions from an unsuccessful attempt, the management of the advertising company Gewista introduced a new bike rental system, thanks to which tourists, Vienna, can practically for free to see all local attractions on a bicycle. You do not need to carry mountain bikes with you to take a walk to the Vienna woods or the picturesque surroundings of the capital of the waltz.
You can rent a bike in any bicycle parking. To do this, you need to register an international credit card MasterCard or Visa in the parking terminal. There are special Citybike Tourist Card for tourists who want to take a bike ride. Rental rates are very humane: the first hour is free, the second is charged 1 EUR for the first hour, 2 EUR for three hours, and 4 EUR.
If you are going to rent a merida bike or any other rental bike for departure for the city, remember that the maximum duration of a walk should not exceed five days, and the hourly rate in this case is four EUR per hour. If you do not return a large after this period, then your card will be charged a fine of 600 EUR. When returning a bicycle, it is necessary to make sure that a green light has lighted up on the terminal after fastening a two-wheeled horse.
The most resourceful tourists immediately realize that you can even use a bicycle for free. To do this, it is enough to return it to the parking lot regularly for an hour, make a small twenty-minute break and then start off again.