BIKE SHARING SERVICE LAUNCHES IN MATERA WITH VAIMOO: DISCOUNTS ON ELECTRIC BIKES FOR FAL USERS

Twenty-two stations, eighty-five electric bikes accessible via APP, and discounts between 56% and 85% on e-bike use for users holding Ferrovie Appulo Lucane travel tickets.

These are the features of the new bike-sharing service launched in Matera, thanks to a sharing mobility project presented by FAL and funded by the Basilicata Region. Matera is the fourth city where FAL has activated the service, following the successful experiences in Potenza, Altamura, and Gravina.

In the case of Matera, it is a short-supply-chain project: the e-bikes, present in several European and Italian cities, are produced by VAIMOO just a few kilometers from Matera, at the MERMEC Ferrosud plant.

The public tender issued by Ferrovie Appulo Lucane S.r.l. was awarded to the Apulian company VAIMOO S.r.l. (part of Angel Holding) based in Mola di Bari, which already operates bike-sharing services in the municipalities of Bari, Molfetta, Giovinazzo, Trani, Altamura, Gravina in Puglia, Asti, Potenza, and in the provinces of Biella, Verbania, Chieti, and Teramo. The service aims to offer an integrated system between the public transport services operated by FAL and the new VAIMOO bike sharing, improving sustainable mobility for citizens.

The press conference at the Matera Centrale FAL Station was attended by the Vice President and Councilor for Transport and Infrastructure of the Basilicata Region, Pasquale Pepe; the Prefectural Sub-Commissioner of the City of Matera, Maria Rita Iaculli; the President of Ferrovie Appulo Lucane, Vittorio Zizza; the General Manager of Ferrovie Appulo Lucane, Matteo Colamussi; and the CEO and founder of VAIMOO, Matteo Pertosa.

“One of the urgencies of the contemporary age – said the Councilor for Transport and Infrastructure of the Basilicata Region, Pasquale Pepe – is to spread the culture of collective transport and shared sustainable mobility within urban centers. The goals are well known: to safeguard the environment, reduce emissions, and improve the quality of life. The Basilicata Region is establishing a network of connections through railway hubs, light rail in the two provincial capitals, and its convergence with local public transport and city transit under municipal jurisdiction. In this scenario, bike sharing represents the final piece for local mobility that will allow Matera, as has also been the case in Potenza for a few days, to welcome citizens and tourists into the historic center while limiting car use.”

“After Potenza, Altamura, and Gravina – said the President of Ferrovie Appulo Lucane, Vittorio Zizza – we are launching the bike-sharing service as part of sharing mobility projects in collaboration with the Basilicata Region and the Municipality of Matera. I am certain that both citizens and tourists visiting Matera, especially during this period of Christmas events, will appreciate this additional service. It complements the efforts our company, in synergy with local authorities, is making in recent weeks to provide extraordinary metropolitan rail services even on Sundays. These are all pieces of the same mosaic: by increasing the quality and quantity of services offered, we hope to also increase demand and build greater loyalty among the citizens of Basilicata toward our company and the use of public transport for sustainability.”

“With the launch of this service – said the General Manager of Ferrovie Appulo Lucane, Matteo Colamussi – we complete a diversified range of mobility services. The recent successes in Potenza, Altamura, and Gravina are promising: our users can count not only on discounts from 56% to 85% on e-bike rental prices but also on a modern interconnection service offered by FAL as a transport operator. This is in one of the most beautiful cities in the world, which, with its natural beauty, offers an ideal route for enjoying these services. From today, not only the many tourists crowding Matera, but especially the residents, will be able to enjoy a tool that also promotes physical activity and well-being. This is the mobility we have been committed to for years, and which is taking shape day after day, favoring not only modernity but, above all, environmental protection.”

“We appreciate these new elements – said the Prefectural Sub-Commissioner of the City of Matera, Maria Rita Iaculli – which will certainly improve traffic flow in this city that presents many challenges. We hope this integrated public transport project, now including bicycles, can have a positive impact, contributing not only to easing traffic but also to improving air quality in the city and perhaps even changing our way of thinking. We will certainly have a lighter, smarter way of living, better suited to a city, albeit a small one, like Matera.”

“It is with great pride that we launch the bike-sharing service in Matera, a true ‘zero-km’ project representing a model of sustainable, innovative, and intermodal mobility – stated Matteo Pertosa, CEO and founder of VAIMOO. – This new service, the fourth in collaboration with FAL, marks an important step forward for cycling mobility in southern Italy, and we are particularly proud to do so in the city of Matera, a UNESCO World Heritage site and a symbol of culture and innovation. The VAIMOO e-bikes, produced just a few kilometers from here at the MERMEC Ferrosud plant, not only bring benefits to the city but also represent a concrete example of the local economy and industrial redevelopment, thanks to the employment of many local professionals we have reintegrated. Our goal is to continue contributing to the development of more sustainable and efficient mobility that improves the quality of life in the city and throughout Basilicata.”

The service will be activated progressively starting from the day of the inauguration, and the full deployment of the fleet will be completed in the following days.

All information and rates for using the VAIMOO e-bike sharing service and the location of the stations are available on the website: https://matera.vaimoo.app/

ADDITIONAL SERVICE INFORMATION

How to use the service

To access the bike-sharing service, you must download the VAIMOO Bike Sharing App on your smartphone and create an account by registering with your email or one of the available social login methods (Apple ID, Google ID, or Facebook). After logging in, you can view a map with the nearest stations reachable on foot within 5 minutes, or you can browse the entire city map and book a bike, which will be reserved for 30 minutes. Once you reach the nearest station, to rent a bike, select the vehicle in the App or scan the QR code on the bicycle, click the “Start ride” button, and the bike will be unlocked and active. To end the ride, you must park the e-bike in the spaces of one of the stations marked with specific signage. Then, simply click on “End ride” and wait for the ‘ride ended successfully’ message. You can always use the “pause” function for a temporary stop outside a station, keeping in mind that rental billing continues during the “pause.”

Rates and Discounts

The e-bike sharing service will operate with subscriptions (BikePass) purchasable in the app, plus a rate for every 30 minutes of use. If the user holds a FAL travel ticket, they can enter it in the app under “redeem code” before purchasing the BikePass to benefit from the following discounts and credit vouchers in minutes:

Accepted payment methods include credit or debit cards, ApplePay, and GooglePay. Discounts are redeemable until June 30, 2025.