New stations near Manufaktura and Fabryczna station
Since Tuesday morning, 11 new Cryptoreporter bike racks have been standing at Manufaktura. Another 23 units landed at the exit of Łódź Fabryczna station on the Kilińskiego side to make morning commuting to offices easier.
Why did we focus on Manufaktura and Fabryczna?
For the last 7 months, we've analyzed data from our 47 stations and the conclusion was simple. People want a bike where they get off the train or go shopping. At Fabryczna station at 8:12 AM, free wheels were often missing because passengers from Koluszki and Warsaw immediately headed toward office buildings like Brama Miasta. We added 23 bikes there so no one has to nervously refresh the app searching for the nearest vehicle two blocks away.
With Manufaktura, the situation was different. Traffic starts there after 4:00 PM and lasts until late evening. You often reported that after a movie or dinner, you had to walk all the way to Zachodnia street to rent anything. Now 11 new stands await directly at the market entrance. This saves about 6 minutes of walking, which makes a big difference in bad weather. We are not changing the price list – the rate stays the same: pay and go without unnecessary formalities.
We added 23 bikes there so no one has to nervously refresh the app searching for the nearest vehicle two blocks away.
City card is enough – how does it work in practice?
Many people ask if they have to install another app to use our new points. The answer is: no. If you have an active Łódź Migawka, you simply tap it on the reader on the bike frame and the lock releases in 1.4 seconds. We tested this solution for 12 weeks with a group of 31 testers and it worked best. No need to pull out a phone in the cold or enter any PIN codes.
For visitors, we left the phone payment option. On each of the 34 new bikes, you'll find a sticker with instructions. You scan the code, select a payment card, and the bike is ready in a minute. The Cryptoreporter system is connected to the local network, so if you leave a bike at the Fabryczna station and return by tram, the system will settle the time to the minute. This is a fair deal – we don't round time up to full hours.
Skip traffic on Piotrkowska and Zachodnia
Łódź is often under construction, and crossing the center between 3:30 PM and 5:15 PM is a challenge for patience. Our bikes have one big advantage: they bypass all these blockages. A trip from Manufaktura to Piotrkowska 102 takes an average of 9 minutes, while by car during rush hour it takes up to 24 minutes, including looking for a parking spot. You leave the bike at the station and forget about it.
Our fleet isn't race bikes, but solid machines for city riding. They have 3 gears in the hub, which is perfectly sufficient for Łódź conditions, even when riding up Tuwima street. Marek from our service personally checked the tire pressure of each of the 34 new units. The brakes are adjusted to work reliably but not lock the wheels at the first strong squeeze. Safety is our priority because we ride these bikes to work ourselves.
A trip from Manufaktura to Piotrkowska 102 takes an average of 9 minutes, while by car it takes up to 24 minutes.
Service and attention to detail
Honestly, we aren't the largest company in Poland and don't have thousands of employees. Cryptoreporter employs 6 people who make sure every bike is functional. New stations at Manufaktura and Fabryczna will be visited by our technical truck daily at 6:00 AM. We check then if anyone left trash in the baskets and if the chains are properly greased. If you notice something knocking, let us know – we usually react in 3-5 hours.
We also noticed that near Fabryczna station there were often minor acts of vandalism in other systems. That's why our new racks are monitored 24/7. We don't do this to track anyone, but to be sure that in the morning you find the bike in the state we left it. Investing in these 34 units cost us a lot of work, but we believe that decent equipment speaks for itself. A bike ready in a minute is our standard, not an empty promise.
Plans for the coming months
Expanding by these two locations isn't the end of our actions this year. Already we are looking at the map and see that points around Księży Młyn are missing. We plan to put another 14 bikes there by the end of May 2025. For now, however, we are focusing on ensuring the stations at Manufaktura and Fabryczna work flawlessly. We know 47 stations is still too few to cover all of Łódź, but we go step by step, caring for the quality of every single vehicle.
We might not be the cheapest option on the market – our rates increased by 45 cents per half hour compared to last season. However, this money goes straight into better tires and regular service. We'd rather you pay a bit more and be sure you'll get to work without getting your pants dirty from a falling chain. See you on the route!
We'd rather you pay a bit more and be sure you'll get to work without getting your pants dirty.
