There has been a marked increase in passengers taking their bikes onto the capital’s trains in the last five years, with almost every twelfth passenger on Copenhagen’s DSB S-trains now travelling with a bicycle.
Since 2010, passengers with bicycles have no longer been required to buy extra tickets to travel. And during that time, their number has soared from 2.1 million to 9 million, accounting for over a third of the total increase (from 93 to 110 million), according to the head of DSB business development, Aske Wieth-Knudsen.
Wieth-Knudsen asserts that the end of the bike ticket fare has paid for itself several times over in increased ticket revenues.
A result of demand and capacity
“The reason for the free bike fare is a combination of demand and capacity,” Wieth-Knudsen told Ing.dk.
The success of the free bike offer has led to new trains being equipped with a dedicated bicycle space in the middle.
According to DSB, 25 percent of the trains are now equipped with flex and bicycle areas, with folding seats replacing the traditional fixed seat model.
