The NS wants to start a trial in the summer with the rental of electric bicycles. For a year, the carrier wants to test whether the so-called O V ebikes are popular with users. The NS says that travelers have asked for e-bikes before. Four stations will be equipped with thirty electric bicycles in those months.
An e-bike should cost 10 euros per 24 hours. It is not yet known at which stations the electric bicycles will be placed. The NS presented the idea for the trial to consumer organisations, ProRail and municipalities. They responded positively, says the spokeswoman for the NS. The final decision has yet to be made.
Theft of the e-bikes can be a risk, the NS acknowledges. The bicycles are equipped with a GPS tracker. In the event of loss or theft, the bicycle can be found with this.
The NS also wants to use this GPS information for research during the trial. This allows information about, for example, the travel distances, the location of the bicycle and the speed to be mapped. In order to preserve the privacy of consumers, the personal data and location data are stored separately, the carrier guarantees. As a result, the supplier knows where the electric bicycle in question is, but not who is on the bicycle. The NS knows who is on the e-bike, but not where it is.
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