Campus and Community

“I realised that electric bikes are a fantastic mobility solution when I started using one”

The project “U-bike Portugal – Operação Técnico” started to provide classic and electric bicycles to Técnico community in 2018, aiming to promote the adoption of a more sustainable mobility behaviour on and around Técnico campuses. Since the beginning of the project, thousands of kilometers have already been counted on U-bike bicycles, proving the interest and importance of this project.

The experience of Luís Vieira, Civil Engineering PhD student, demonstrates it. Motivated by the positive experience he had as a user of the U-bike project, Luís Vieira decided to buy his own electric bicycle. “I realised that electric bikes are a fantastic mobility solution when I started using one. They are very fast and ideal for distances of less than 8-9 km and I do not need to waste time looking for a parking space, or worry about bus schedules”, says the PhD student. “I take my bike everywhere, even on the train, when I visited my family during the holidays”.

The PhD student took advantage of the government’s financial incentives to purchase electric bicycles and ended up helping his girlfriend and brother to do the same, “but using the new incentive from Lisbon City Hall”.

About the U-bike Project:
This project is financially supported by Portugal 2020 under the Operational Programme for Sustainability and Efficient Use of Resources (POSEUR). It aims at low carbon development strategies by promoting smooth mobility at Instituto Superior Técnico, with a focus on bike, thus reducing fossil fuels use.