translated from Spanish: The use of shared bikes has increased by 51% since the beginning of Phase 3

After five months of confinement, the city of Santiago returned, in part, to a routine away from home, something more similar to that which was pre-quarantined, but with other habits. One of the most changed has been the preference for the use of the bicycle, as it avoids crowds and meets the need for movement that people have after these months of lockdown.
According to data from Tembici, the operating company of Bike Santiago, the demand for bicycles has increased by an average of 51% since Phase 3 began in some communes in the Metropolitan Region.
This explosive increase in bicycle use has been reflected in recent figures, where only during the first 15 days of September, 84% of the total trips they made in August had already taken place. Also, the number of users increased by 48% compared to what was recorded during the previous month.
Meanwhile, during the first 15 days of September, travel increased by 196% compared to the same April period, when the first total quarantines began to be decreed in the capital.
How safe are shared bikes?
According to the WHO (World Health Organization), currently in the context of the Covid-19 pandemic, bicycles are the safest means of transport to prevent transmission, so it is also important that the companies behind bike sharing ensure the hygiene and safety of their users.
Faced with this, Alex Ferreira, country manager Tembici Chile, notes that they follow “the guidelines of health organizations to clean our bikes daily, using 70% alcohol or 1% chlorine solution. In addition, both our stations and the bicycles that return to our operations centers are cleaned regularly.”
Users also play an important role in disease transmission. For this reason, there are a number of recommendations for use and precautions that each user should have such as:

Wear a mask every time the bike is used
Wash your hands as soon as possible after use
Avoid touching your eyes and nose before washing your hands
I hope to bring alcohol gel 70% always.

Original source in Spanish