metropolradruhr starts in Witten

There are ten locations here and the 50 bikes are available 24 hours a day, seven days a week. "This gives us another flexible and ecological means of transport in Witten," says Mayor Lars König happily.

One of these locations is at Witten/Herdecke University (UW/H). "With the metropolradruhr, our guests, external speakers, employees and students can flexibly switch to bicycles and enjoy the benefits of environmentally friendly transport," says Dr Annaliesa Hilger, Head of the Sustainability Networking Office at the UW/H. "The rental bikes are an attractive addition to our diverse and sustainable mobility offers - such as the 9-euro job ticket, eCarsharing, bike leasing and the university cargo bike."

Witten's housing cooperatives also recognise and use the strengths of the offer. Frank Nolte, CEO of Wohnungsgenossenschaft Witten-Mitte, explains: "Housing and mobility belong together! As a housing association in Witten, we want to promote sustainable and climate-friendly mobility in the city and in our residential neighbourhoods. The metropolradruhr concept fits in well with the housing-related services that we already offer our tenants in the form of car sharing, electric car charging stations and bicycle garages and parking facilities."

Rental via app

Anyone wishing to use the rental bikes from metropolradruhr simply needs to download the nextbike by TIER app and then register. This allows bikes to be rented and returned in all twelve participating cities in the Ruhr region, including Bochum and Dortmund. The basic rate costs 1 euro per 15 minutes of hire, up to a maximum of 15 euros per day. In the monthly tariff, the price is reduced to 1 euro per 30 minutes borrowed, also capped at 15 euros per day.

City councillor Rommelfanger sees "an important building block for a bicycle-friendly Witten"

"The introduction of the 'metropolradruhr' bike hire system is another important building block for a bike-friendly Witten," explains city councillor Stefan Rommelfanger. "The hire system is an ideal addition to Witten's public transport system: using the hire bikes will make the routes between Witten's main public transport stops, the university, the city districts and residential neighbourhoods even more attractive in future."

The uncomplicated rental and flexible return options are intended to entice people away from their cars and thus relieve traffic congestion in the city. This is why the rental stations are spread throughout the city: at the main railway station and Annen-Nord station, at the town hall / Kornmarkt, at Bodenborn (Bommerfelder Ring intersection), at the Herbede-Mitte and Heven Hellweg stops, at Pestalozziplatz, on Pferdebachstraße (near the railway crossing), at the Stockum Protestant church and at Witten/Herdecke University.

Witten stakeholders support the project - and benefit

The city of Witten has gained important partners for the project. These include the UW/H and its Hochschulwerk as well as the housing cooperatives Witten-Mitte, Witten-Ost, Siedlungsgesellschaft Witten and Siedlungsgenossenschaft Arbeiterheim Witten. They benefit from special conditions, i.e. students and employees of the university, tenants of the housing co-operatives and employees of the city of Witten receive 30 free minutes with every loan. At the same time, the partners' logos are visible on the bikes.

"Together with these players, we as the city administration have been involved in the nationwide "Housing and Mobility Network" of VCD e.V., a project of the National Climate Protection Initiative of the Federal Ministry for the Environment, Nature Conservation and Nuclear Safety, since 2020. You are once again involved in the conceptual and financial development of the hire system, and I would like to thank you very much for this commitment," said Councillor Rommelfanger.

An offer for the entire Ruhr region

Witten is the twelfth city in the Ruhr region to participate in metropolradruhr. This wide distribution is one of the great strengths of the concept, because: Anyone who registers in Witten can also hire a bike in Bottrop, Duisburg, Hamm, Herne or one of the other cities. And you can also return it to a neighbouring city, for example rent a bike in Witten and leave it in Dortmund.

More information at www.witten.de/radverkehr and at www.metropolradruhr.de.