We launched our smart locks

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This changes for you

30.04.2021 We opened no less than 4 new Blue-bike locations: at Antwerp-Luchtbal station, Antwerp-Noorderdokken station and 2 at Ekeren station. At these locations we launched our newest technology. From now on, Blue-bikes with a smart lock can be found at our newest Blue-bike locations. 

A smart lock is a bicycle lock that is equipped with a card reader, GPS tracker, motion sensor, LED lights and a sound buzzer. Thanks to the built-in card reader, you can open the lock with your Blue-bike or MoBIB card. You pick a bike, hold your card in front of the lock's card reader and off you go. At locations with 'smart' Blue-bikes, you won't find a key distributors anymore. No more searching for your bike number in the bike parking. 

At the moment, these 4 new stations are the only locations where you can try out our 'smart' Blue-bikes. All other locations will continue to work with an automatic key distributor for the time being. Because the new locks work differently to our key distributors, we have updated our terms and conditions. In this email, we explain what will change for you, and what you need to know when you rent a smart Blue-bike.

1. With your Blue-bike card, you always have a bike at hand  

Let's start with the most important news. The new technology does not affect your membership at Blue-bike. You don't have to do anything and can just keep on riding. Because we have made sure that you can open a smart lock with your Blue-bike or MoBIB card. Handy, right? All you have to do when you arrive at a Blue-bike location with smart locks is wake the Blue-bike from its sleeping mode by tapping the saddle, and then hold your card in front of the lock's card reader.

Other than this, our formula remains exactly the same. After your ride, bring the Blue-bike back to its original location and close the lock. You cannot leave the Blue-bike outside a Blue-bike location. You can lock the Blue-bike during your trip, but your ride time will continue to run. Just like your rides with a Blue-bike with key lock

2. We launched a brand new Blue-bike app

Not only can you open our smart locks with a Blue-bike or MoBIB card, you can also open them with our brand new Blue-bike app. The app now is available in the Play Store or Apple Store. Scan the QR code on the right with your smartphone or click on the links to download the app.
In this app, you will find a map with all our locations, you can consult all your rides (also those made with bikes with a key lock), you can open a Blue-bike with smart lock using the QR code and you can report a defect on a bicycle with a smart lock. To use a voucher at a location equipped with bikes with smart locks, you also need to download the app. Sign in with the voucher code, and scan a QR code to redeem your ride. 

Curious how that works? Watch our video on how to rent a smart bike with your card and app. 

3. We extended our privacy policy so that you can find out what happens to your personal data

We made some GDPR adjustments and therefore updated our privacy policy. In our updated privacy policy you can see what data we collect and what efforts we make to protect it. Furthermore, we added information about the data collection of a smart lock. Because this lock is tracked via GPS. This way, you can see the route you made with a 'smart' Blue-bike in the app. Rest assured, this information is only visible to you. Blue-bike will only request route data in exceptional cases such as loss or theft of the bike. You can find our updated privacy policy in the terms and conditions on the website. 

4. We expanded our glossary so that you can better understand our different formulas

We also added some extra terms to our general terms and conditions. The new definitions clarify the difference between Blue-bikes that you rent via a key distributor and Blue-bikes that you rent via a smart lock. For example, you can rent 2 Blue-bikes at the same time via a key machine, and you can only rent one Blue-bike at smart locations. You can find our modified general terms and conditions on our website.

IN SHORT

  • With your Blue-bike card at hand,  you can still cycle at all locations.
  • In our new app and on our website you will find an overview of all our locations. You can also see which locations are equipped with key distributors and which are equipped with smart locks.
  • The prices do not change. You pay the same amount for a ride at a location with bikes with smart locks as at a location with an automatic key distributor.
  • You can also recognise the Blue-bikes with smart locks by the QR code on the handlebar. 
  • No card but a voucher? Download our app to rent a bike!
  • Be sure to check the frequently asked questions or info page on our website.