Climate-friendly on the road with the AAL-Packa, KlimaEntLaster or Kesselflitzer

In addition to the 1,700 bicycles and pedelecs available for hire for various purposes in the state capital and 50 other towns and municipalities in the Stuttgart region, the e-cargo bikes are something special in the RegioRadStuttgart inter-municipal bicycle and pedelec hire system. The current range of ten electric cargo bikes in Stuttgart’s five inner city districts is now being expanded to include ten cargo pedelecs in the outer city districts and a further 15 in seven cities in the region.

“Whether it’s for bulk shopping, moving house, transporting boxes, a trip to Stückle or a family outing - the 35 electric cargo bikes from RegioRadStuttgart can be used to transport not only bulky items, but also small children in an environmentally friendly and cost-effective way,” explains Sören Heinze, Partner Manager of DB Connect GmbH, which operates the public rental system. The spacious transport box with folding bench seat and 3-point safety belts allows up to two children aged between 2 and 7 to be transported. The prerequisite is that together they weigh a maximum of 45 kilograms and do not exceed a seat height of 60 centimetres. Sören Heinze adds: “Unlike bicycles and pedelecs, e-cargo bikes have a so-called home station where they must be returned after the journey. Further information on this can be found in the app or on the luggage tray of the cargo pedelec. Otherwise there is an additional service fee of 50 euros.”

In Stuttgart, the new e-cargo bikes are available at the following stations: Wilhelmsplatz in Bad Cannstatt, Löffelstraße in Degerloch, S-Bahn station in Feuerbach, Europaplatz in Möhringen, Audimax Universität Stuttgart in Vaihingen, Löwen-Markt in Weilimdorf, Emil-Schuler-Platz in Zuffenhausen and in Stuttgart-Mitte at Neckartor, the Liederhalle and the city library.

They complement the ten established e-cargo bikes in Stuttgart’s five inner city districts and have creative names such as “Fasanen Cruiser”, “Zuffenhausener Sportwägele” or “Degerlocher Bugglhopfer”, which were chosen as part of a naming competition.

The 15 cargo pedelecs in seven other municipalities were also given likeable names, such as the Aalen “AAL-Packa”, the “KlimaEntLaster Bietigheim-Bissingen”, the Böblingen “Dietzen-Rädle”, the Ditzingen “LaRa Ditzi”, the “LastenrädLE” in Leinfelden-Echterdingen, the “Kaisers Kutsche” in Ludwigsburg or the “Nürtinger Lastentaxi”. The practical bikes can be borrowed at the following locations: At Aalen main station, in Bietigheim’s old town, at Böblingen train station, in Ditzingen at the train station, town hall and in the three districts, at Leinfelden S-Bahn station, in Ludwigsburg at Otto-Hahn-Gymnasium, Carl-Schaefer-Schule and Favoritepark S-Bahn station, and in Nürtingen at the train station and in front of the University of Applied Sciences for Environment and Technology.

“Thanks to the electric support, even longer distances and differences in altitude can be easily mastered. Particularly practical: like all RegioRäder bikes, the cargo pedelecs can be reserved free of charge 45 minutes before the start of the journey. With the polygoCard, rental is particularly inexpensive,” explains Ralf Maier-Geißer, overall coordinator of RegioRadStuttgart. Holders of the polygoCard cycle for 8 cents per minute and a maximum of 12 euros within 24 hours. The other tariffs cost between 12 or 14 cents per minute and a maximum of 19 euros for 24 hours. Incidentally, with the low night tariff, you can also conveniently take the cargo pedelec home with you. This is because between 6 p.m. and 9 a.m. the following day, borrowing costs a maximum of 1.50 euros for the polygoCard tariff and 2 euros for all other tariffs. Further information can be found at  www.regioradstuttgart.de/de/regio-rad-typen/#lastenpedelec. (opens in a new tab)

Maier-Geißer: “Increasing damage to bikes and infrastructure, bikes parked outside stations and staff shortages in the workshop and in the service department of the operator DB Connect GmbH are currently leading to rental stations having fewer bikes or even being empty in some cases. The aim must be to provide an attractive service at all stations again in the near future.”

All residents are encouraged to inform the police if they notice any damage or suspect misuse of the public bikes. Naturally, willful damage will be reported to the police. Abandoned bikes spotted away from stations can be reported via the RegioRadStuttgart app or by email to  foundcallabikede.