Tehran Municipality Starts Bike-n-Bus Program

EghtesadOnline: As per a pilot program run by Tehran Municipality, the Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) network has partly been equipped with bike racks for the convenience of cyclists, head of Tehran Bus Company said.

News ID: ۷۴۶۸۷۹

10 March 2019

Peiman Sanandaji told ISNA that bike racks are installed on buses operating in two lines.

Bike racks are available on 12 buses in Lines 4 and 7, he said, adding that expansion of the project depends on the public feedback on the latest eco-friendly scheme.

"If the program produces the desired results the entire BRT system will be equipped with the same facility," Financial Tribune quoted him as saying.

With a network of 150 kilometers, Tehran BRT network consists of eleven lines (two of which are not operational) with 204 stations. A total of 1,200 buses working for the BRT carry an estimated 1.8 million passengers every day.

Sanandaji said each parking space for the bicycles is located at the front of the bus and can carry up to two cycles.  Passengers should simply have their bikes ready to be taken onboard before the bus arrives at the station.

Bus bike racks allow cyclists to broaden their travel area. Bike and bus travel help promote a healthy lifestyle and are environment-friendly. It also saves commuting cost compared to travel by personal cars.

Furthermore, as a smart and green mode of transport, biking helps reduce traffic congestion and improves air quality in a polluted megalopolis like Tehran.

To promote the culture of cycling, several measures have been taken in the city, one of which was two years ago when 50 bike lending terminals were set up in and around the capital.

The terminals were mostly planted in crowded downtown areas and near interchange subway stations and tourist sites.

Since Pirouz Hanachi took office in November 2018 as Tehran mayor, the concept of and belief in eco-friendly commute has taken on a new dimension in the city of 12 million people.