Transport support during the Festival of Lights
During the three-day event, our stations in the center handled 156% more rentals than on a normal weekend. Thanks to fast service and bike relocation, tourists could move efficiently between installations.
The Festival of Lights is always a major logistical challenge for Łódź. Thousands of people on Piotrkowska and near Manufaktura mean one thing: traffic where nothing moves. We showed that our bikes are the fastest way to see all installations in one evening.
The challenge
In 2023, tourists complained about a lack of parking and overcrowded buses on Zachodnia. The Łódź Event Foundation needed a way to disperse the crowd of 34,000 people moving between 12 program points. Main bike stations in the center usually emptied in 15 minutes after shows began. We had to make sure a bike was available for anyone wanting to jump from Plac Wolności to Staromiejski Park.
Our approach
We didn't wait for bikes to return by themselves. We divided our 6-person team into two field crews. The first group handled relocation – every 3 hours we transported bikes from empty outlying stations (like those near Zdrowie or Widzew) directly into the heart of the festival. The second group, our technicians, roamed on scooters with tools. They checked pressure and brakes on the fly so no one found faulty gear in the middle of the night.
The solution
We focused on full mobility. We increased the fleet available in the center by 83 additional bikes. We simplified station instructions – just tap the Migawka or enter a code in the app, which took an average of 43 seconds. Additionally, at the most crowded points on Roosevelta and Tuwima streets, we introduced temporary return zones where our employees manually checked in bikes, freeing up rack spaces for more people.
Results
Thanks to efficient logistics, we avoided 'empty racks' during key hours. Bike traffic in the center more than doubled, and travel time between installations was shortened by about 18 minutes compared to walking in the crowd.
Timeline
-
12 September 2024Preparation of 83 extra bikes and fleet review
-
27-29 September 2024Festival support and bike relocation every 3 hours
-
30 September 2024Data summary and return of bikes to standard stations
"We always feared the bikes would vanish in the first hour. Cryptoreporter delivered equipment on time and kept order at the stations for all three nights. People actually moved faster."