The University of Porto has officially launched the U-bike project

The University of Porto has officially launched the U-bike project. The U-bike Portugal Project is cofinanced by the Operational programme for Sustainability and Efficiency in the Use of Resources (PO SEUR), Portugal 2020 and the European Union, through the Cohesion Fund.

The project had already kicked-off on 16 April 2017 for registration purposes, open to all students of the University of Porto. The application period concluded in June 2018 and each bicycle will be allocated to a student within the University of Porto. In order to keep the right to "ride their" bicycle till the end of the application (6, 9 and 12 months), users will have to ride a minimum 7 km per day with the bike.

All kilometres will be monitored by an exclusive platform of the UP, which will observe all indicators, namely the positive environmental impact of the project, as well as "ensure both the equipment and the rider safety properties by monitoring each route", as stated by José Miguel Moreira, from the CDUP-UP and in charge of the project's coordination in the University.

The last month of October, the first standard U-Bikes were allocated by the Sports Centre of U.Porto (CDUP-UP). "During the month of November, we hope that 120 more members can bike ride through the city".

This project encompasses over 250 electric and standard bicycles that should cover an annual mileage of about 2400 km. The bike use is free.

In total, the U.bike Project involves 15 institutions of the higher education system, and it includes 2.096 electric bikes and 1.138 standard bikes all over the country.

The main goal is to encourage the use of clean transportation and to reduce the use of pollutant transport.

See here for more information.