U-BIKE PORTUGAL

The U-bike Portugal Project aims to promote smooth mobility, in particular the use of bicycles, in academic communities of 15 participating Higher Education Institutions (HEIs). The Project is part of Portugal 2020, specifically POSEUR - Operational Program for Sustainability and Efficiency in the Use of Resources.

Sustainable mobility is increasingly a goal of those who manage our cities, and it is necessary to find attractive ways to promote it. Legal obligations in terms of reducing energy consumption, greenhouse gas emissions and atmospheric pollutants and the need to reduce congestion in cities, make it necessary to consider new ways of attracting the population to more sustainable ways, changing the modal distribution, namely by reducing car use, and simultaneously improving citizens' quality of life.

This is a nationwide project coordinated by the Mobility and Transport Institute, I.P. (IMT), which aims to reduce energy consumption, greenhouse gas emissions and atmospheric pollutants by promoting smooth mobility, in particular cycling, in academic communities, through support for the acquisition of bicycles for institutions of higher education. In parallel, it also aims to attract the population to more sustainable modes, changing the modal distribution, namely by reducing car use and simultaneously improving citizens' quality of life.

Overall, the objective of the U-BIKE Portugal Project is to promote smooth mobility, in particular cycling, in academic communities, by supporting the acquisition of bicycles for higher education institutions.

3,234 bicycles will be allocated (2,096 electric and 1,138 conventional), based on standards defined by each institution and in compliance with the General Regulations of the U-bike Portugal Project, for long-term use (e.g.: rental for a semester or a year school) that leads to the creation of regular habits of using this means of transport.

The Project began in September 2016, with a maximum execution period of 2 years. It is expected that 2,412,141 km will be traveled annually by bicycle, in 26 municipalities, which corresponds to a saving of 166.34 tonnes of oil equivalent and a consequent reduction of 505 tonnes of CO2 equivalent.

U-BIKE UTAD

UTAD's initiative to contribute to the reduction of energy consumption, greenhouse gas emissions and atmospheric pollutants and the reduction of congestion, through the attraction of its university population to more sustainable ways, in order to change the existing modal distribution, namely due to the reduction in car use. To this end, UTAD will purchase bicycles for public use, in universities. This project, integrated into the nationwide UBIKE project, gives the initiative a significant dimension that is expected to have a national impact in terms of modal transfer in universities.

UTAD, aware of its responsibilities towards society, intends to take another step in its sustainability policy, implementing a living laboratory on its Campus. The present intervention that UTAD proposes will therefore allow it to take another step in the implementation of its environmental and sustainability policy, aiming to significantly increase its environmental performance and improve the well-being of Campus users.

The aim of this initiative is to effectively replace cars with electric bicycles every semester.

The U-BIKE UTAD Project foresees the acquisition of 75 electric bicycles, for use by the academic community.

The bicycles will be distributed among the academic community (students, teaching and non-teaching workers and researchers), based on standards pre-defined by UTAD, in compliance with the General Regulations of the U-Bike Portugal Project.

This project is funded by POSEUR - Sustainability and Efficiency in the Use of Resources Operational Program.

CONDITIONS OF USE

Available rental options and respective monthly contribution amounts (in accordance with article 2 of the regulation):

  • Quarter: €10.00/month (3 consecutive months);
  • Academic semester (October to February / March to July: €8.00/month (5 months);
  • School year (October to July): €6.00/month (10 months)

The value of the monthly contribution, which will have to be paid in a single installment at the time of signing the contract, includes:
  • Your U-Bike.
  • Costs for periodic preventive maintenance to be carried out by UTAD;
  • Insurance;
  • GPS communications and U-Bike application;
  • User kit with padlock and helmet;

A deposit of €30.00 must also be paid at the time of signing the contract, which will be returned to the user at the end of the rental period, if the bicycle is returned in the operating conditions in which it was delivered.



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Address
AAUTAD, Quinta de Prados, 5000-801 Vila Real (Portugal)
Email ubike@utad.pt
Phone +351 963 265 943