Florence is introducing an incentive-based scheme to encourage residents to cycle around the city. Pedala, Firenze ti premia provides monthly rewards for people who bike the most using a dedicated app and the Pin Bike kit.
Costing 1.2 million euro, the scheme is one of the pilot projects developed as part of the “Florence for the Climate” agreement aimed at improving air quality.
Anyone aged over 18 can take part in the scheme, as long as they are residents of Florence or are domiciled in Florence and study or work in the city; are residents or domiciled in Florence and work or study in the municipalities that are part of the metropolitan area, such as Bagno a Ripoli, Calenzano, Campi Bisenzio, Lastra a Signa, Scandicci, Sesto Fiorentino and Signa; are resident or domiciled in the municipalities that are part of the metropolitan area and study or work in Florence.
The aim of the scheme is to encourage cycling to and from work or school, which is why these routes will be rewarded the most with up to 0.2 euro per kilometre cycled. Two routes can be set up on the app: home/school and home/work to meet the needs of people who have more than one study or work location. The use of bicycles will also be encouraged for journeys with a general destination, as long as they are biked within the cyclist’s municipality from Monday to Friday, thus reducing the use of motor vehicles. Ordinary and pedal-assisted bicycles can both be used.
The project is based on an app and a kit, created by Pin Bike, which is a patented and anti-fraud system for the certification, monitoring and gamification of urban routes. The kit consists of a bluetooth hardware device that will certify the actual use of the bicycle, as well as a smartphone handlebar mount and signal lights. Users can book the kit online (2,000 will be available in total) from May 13 by downloading the Pin Bike app from Google Play or Apple, and filling out the application form. The kit can be collected from your local council office for public relations from May 20 onwards and will become operational on June 3. The incentives will be refunded by bank transfer and credited to your current account.
There will be two types of reimbursements: one for individuals who stop using a polluting vehicle in favour of the bike between the home and the workplace and one for people who already use a bike on a regular basis. Persons switching from a motor vehicle to a bike between their home and workplace or place of study will receive 20 euro cents per kilometre, plus five cents for each kilometre on generic routes, as long as they are within the Municipality of Florence. The maximum amount that can be accrued will be €2 per day and €30 per month. On the other hand, cyclists who already commute to work/school will be entitled to 15 cents per kilometre and 5 cents per kilometer on general routes. The maximum amount that can be accrued will be €1.20 per day and €30 per month.
In addition to this, prizes of up to €100 will be available every month for 200 users who accumulate the most points on the App gained through virtuous actions (kilometres cycled, participation in events and questionnaires, etc.).
Download the Pin Bike app from Google Play or Apple. Applications to take part in Pedala, Firenze ti premia open on the app on May 13, while the scheme will start on June 3, 2024, aka World Bicycle Day, through June 2, 2025.
