Krungthep Thanakom Company, the investment arm of the Bangkok Metropolitan Administration, is rolling out a bicycle rental program in the Thai capital this Sunday.
The plan will start with 100 single-seat bikes and 230 more will be added in the coming three months. There will ultimately be a total of 50 stations where these bikes can be rented, according to the Nation
Krungthep Thanakom claims that its previous projects have largely been ignored, as drivers just don’t seem to care much about the bike lanes, and last time we checked bikers didn’t either.
“If there were proper bicycle lanes in the capital, I would bike to any destination of up to 13 kilometers,” a Bangkok resident was quoted. He must be forgetting about the pollution, crazy motorcycle taxi drivers, lawless automobile drivers, or the heat. God bless his soul.
This plan certainly seems slightly misguided, but the cycling revolution has to start somewhere. Could this be the bandwagon that all the Bangkok trendsters adopt? It’s possible, as the whole idea was inspired by Velib, a successful Parisian bicycle rental setup with 23,000 bicycle and 18,000 stations.
There will be a two bicycle-renting stations located near Chamchuri Square and the Siam BTS during the first phase of the initiative. Prices are very competitive at THB20 for three hours, THB60 for six hours, or THB100 for the entire day.
The prices include insurance, and we’re pretty sure you’re going to need it!
