VRNnextbike
Any one can rent a VRNnextbike. (VRN is the name of our transit system, sponsors of the service and nextbike is the short version of the name for The nextbike Company which the city has hired to run the service.) Happily, these bikes are available not just to the citizens of Speyer and nearby communities but also to visitors.
“I am convinced that not only Speyer’s citizens but our many visitors will make extensive use of these bikes.” So spoke Hansjörg Eger, mayor of the city recently. “I would be very pleased if this environmentally friendly offer was accepted by all and became a model for this entire region.”
In Speyer, a total of 8 stations have been set up for these VRNnextbikes. You can rent one of them at the Cathedral, the fairground, the Rhine landing, the Post Office, Berlin Square, the university, the Citizens’ Advice Office (Bürgerbüro) in the Salzgasse and at the main railway station.
VRNnextbike customers pay a rental fee of 1.00 euro per half-hour or portion thereof. There is a maximum charge of 9.00 euros per 24-hour period. However, you will also need a RadCard which costs 48.00 euros per year. With it, you get the first half-hour of any ride free of charge; after that you will continue to pay 1 euro for every additional half-hour up to a maximum of 9.00 euros per 24 hours.
VRN commutation cardholders and Rhein-Neckar CarSharing customers can use the rental bikes at a special reduced fee. For them, the RadCard costs only 29.00 euros per year for which they receive the first half-hour of any rental free. The maximum fee per 24 hour period is reduced to 5.00 euros.
Key to the bike rental system is its regional approach. The bikes can be rented year-round, 24 hours-a-day, 7 days-a-week, from any of the stations throughout the city. They can be returned to the same station or any of the other seven. The rental process is completely automatic. It is accessible in person at the terminal of each rental station, online per app, and by phone.
The nextbike Company, in coordination with participating communities and under the terms of its contract with the VRN, has taken over responsibility for on-site service. Their responsibilities include redistribution of the bicycles as well as the care and maintenance of the bicycles and the stations. Their customer service can be reached at any time of day or night by persons in Speyer and the Rhein-Neckar region at 030-692-05046. Anyone who has registered at VRNnextbike can also use all other nextbike-operated bicycle rental systems anywhere in the world.
