Finland’s bike-sharing scheme CityBike Finland has partnered with scheme management solutions provider Stage Intelligence to deploy artificial intelligence in bike sharing in the city of Helsinki.
By developing a new system of artificial intelligence in bike sharing, the partners in the scheme hope to optimise the management and operation of Helsinki’s CityBikes. Currently, the operator – in conjunction with urban transport operator Moventia – owns and operates a fleet of more than 2,000 bicycles in the city, and with the new artificial intelligence management system aims to drive up the number of riders over the summer season.
Stage Intelligence has also announced an intention to expand the technology worldwide, following its successful deployment in Helsinki; the technology is also in use in Chicago, USA, and Guadalajara, Spain, and is due to be rolled out into other cities in the near future.
How will the system contribute to the popularity of bicycle-sharing in Helsinki?
Helsinki is already consistently rated one of the best cities in the world in which to cycle, with 70% of the city’s residents cycling at least sometimes, and 10% of all journeys being undertaken by bicycle. Authorities in Helsinki aim to increase this number to 15% by 2020, and view the city’s bicycle-sharing scheme as a means of achieving this.
According to Jordi Cabañas, general manager of the bike-sharing division at Moventia, the new artificial intelligence system will make bike-sharing more accessible and attractive to the citizens of Helsinki and support the city’s aims at growth: “Cycling is quite often the fastest and most comfortable way to travel in Helsinki and the city has built quite a strong culture around it. The residents love cycling, and we want to get more people on two wheels and using the city’s extensive public transport methods.”
Tom Nutley, head of operations at Stage Intelligence, added: “We are excited to go live with CityBike and its partners to transform how over 600,000 Helsinki residents experience bike-sharing every day. Over 96% of its residents have a positive attitude towards cycling and we’re proud to be using city data and AI to get even more people cycling through optimised and efficient bike-share.”
