You have probably seen various people cycling around on the orange Itaú bikes in Centro or Zona…read moreSul. So did I. As I got really curious about what one has to do to be able to use these bicycles, I took some actions to find that out. Actually, it took me only 5 minutes to discover how you rent a bike and how unbelievable cheap this is. Rio Bike is ideal for cycling around for leisure or to avoid crowded busses and heavy traffic!
For only R$10 per month you can use the Rio Bikes for an unlimited number of times. The only 'but' is that you have to return your bicycle within one hour for it to be free. But this is no problem actually, because there are over a hundred stations where you can return and pick up a bicycle. After 15 minutes you are already allowed to pick-up another bicycle to continue your way. If you just want to use a Rio Bike occasionally, you pay R$ 5 per 24 hours.
The use is very simple through the Bike Rio app. The app shows you where the stations are and how many bikes there are available and how many free spaces there are for returning your bike. Once you are at one of the stations, you just enter the station number and click on one of the available bikes on you smartphone. The bicycle will be unlocked automatically and you can go on your way. Returning you bicycle is even simpler. You just click your bicycle in one of the free spaces at one of the stations and your bicycle will be locked. The system automatically recognizes your bike and 'knows' that you returned your bike.