Bicycle renting: How to use Moscow’s bike-share programme

Whether looking for an enjoyable ride across the city or its parks, a faster way to get to a destination, or a fitness session – a bicycle might be the best choice. It is now easy to rent a bicycle at any of Moscow’s 350 bike-share stations offering 3,200 bikes. Every year, 50 new stations with 500 bikes each are opened in the city.

How to rent a bike

To rent a bicycle, registration is required at velobike.ru either via a mobile app (App Store or Google Play), or via the rental stations’ terminals. Applicants will enter their names, phone number, email and bank card details; then they will receive a login and a password for a personal account. One bike is allowed per account number at a time.

In addition to registering, users can receive and return bikes at any rental station and consult the city map.

Every bike has a keyboard and a card-reader unit. To unlock a bike, a rider enters their login number on the keyboard then scans their Troika card, and waits for a message and a beep.

To return a bike, the rider puts it in an empty stand, and waits for the “Return OK!” on the bike’s panel and the confirmation beep (one beep means the rent is completed, three beeps indicate an error). Once returned, the user will receive a text message confirmation. It is important to make sure the bike is inserted into its port and the Return OK readout comes up on the screen to avoid a fine. If there are no empty stands at the station, the navigation map will help find an alternative location.

What bikes are available at rental stations

Rental stations offer bikes with wide and comfortable smooth-riding tyres, a convenient seat height adjustment, three speeds, front and rear hand brakes and battery run lights. For short-term parking, the bikes are fitted with a built-in cable lock and steering clamp.

Six rental stations offer electric bikes that can develop a speed of 15 kph with a range of about 18 km. They can be used as ordinary pedal bikes too. The electric and pedal bikes have the same rental rates.

How to pay

When registering, the user selects a pay plan: daily, monthly or seasonal. Payment is accepted by Visa or MasterCard, no cash. The fee depends on how long you ride and the rate you choose. The minimum rate is for 30 minutes or less. Twenty-four hour access costs 150 roubles, monthly access is 600 roubles, and the entire seasonal is 1,200 roubles. There are no restrictions on the number of rides during the selected period.

If a ride lasts longer than 30 minutes, the bike rider will be charged at the end of the trip depending on the time used. Up to one hour is 30 roubles, up to two hours is 100 roubles, and up to three hours is 450 roubles. More details are available at https://www.velobike.ru/en/prices/.

A 24-hour or monthly agreement requires a 1,000-rouble deposit that will be blocked on the user’s bankcard account. The money will be unblocked, minus 30-plus minute trip costs, once the agreement term is up and the bike rented has been securely returned. Seasonal users do not have to leave the deposit. The bike rider will be charged only for trips longer than 30 minutes.

A bike can be rented for up to 48 hours maximum, otherwise the user will be charged a fine of 30,000 roubles. Thus, it is important to make sure that the bike’s keypad monitor shows “Return OK” and that a text message confirmation is received.

Cycling routes

Moscow has hundreds of kilometres of bicycle lanes and several thousand bike racks. Bikes can be parked at 2,800 bike racks that can hold a total of 18,000 bikes, in many locations including shopping centres and other commercial sites.

Special cycling lanes are the most comfortable and safest places for a bike rider in Moscow. There are also cycling routes in parks and green zones, and next to roads. The city’s cycling infrastructure map is available here. For more complex enquiries, call Velobike customer service at +7 (495) 966-46-69 (from 7am until midnight).

Traffic rules for cyclists

Bicyclists are advised to use bike lanes, otherwise bike riders over 14 are allowed to ride on the right edge of the road or pavement. A cyclist must indicate every manoeuvre – setting off, changing lanes, turning (making a U-turn) or stopping. Cyclists must have their hands (hand) on the handlebars at all time, and they are not allowed to carry a load that will interfere with steering, or take passengers if the bike is not designed for it. Nor are they allowed to turn left or make a U-turn on roads with tram lines or on roads that have more than one lane in either direction. In the dark, cyclists are advised to wear light-reflecting elements.

Traffic violations are punished by a fine that is increased if a cyclist is under the influence of alcohol.