How Valenbisi works
How Valenbisi works
Valenbisi has a total of 276 bike stations in Valencia. The bikes are available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. The service is overall of great quality and affordable, with a good spread of the bikes throughout the city.
This means that no matter which station you’re at, you are likely to find a bike available. In case you don’t, there are plenty of other bike stations in the immediate vicinity. To find the closest station to you, you can use the Valenbisi Map or the Valenbisi app.
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As you can see on the map, there are Valenbisi stations all over Valencia’s urban area. -
On the Valenbisi app, aside from the location of the stations themselves, you can also see their bike and free stand availability.
To use this service, you pay a fixed cost, either per year or per week. The two options require the same documentation and personal info, so they are equally easy to get. You can read more about the long term and short term subscription options and their characteristics in the relevant sections of this article.
While there used to be a required deposit of €150.00 for short-term subscriptions, this has recently changed. Instead, at the moment of purchase, you’ll have to authorise the company to safely save your bank details in case of non-compliance with the contract. The maximum amount they are allowed to take from you, in that case, is still €150.00. You can find more details about this in the penalties section of this article.
Valenbisi App
The Valenbisi app is the main tool you’ll need when doing anything related to Valenbisi. Everything from general information to your personal account can be viewed and managed through the app.
Here’s a list of what you can do through it:
- View the Valenbisi map and bike availability.
- Activate your booking once you’re at the bike station.
- View personal info, including past trips and time if use.
- Subscribe to either long or short term passes.
If you prefer not using the app, you can still pair your account to a Móbilis card (in case it’s a long-term subscription) or get a subscription directly at a Valenbisi station (the short-term subscription).
Bike pick-up
Picking up a bike when you have a Valenbisi account is really easy. Of course, you can unlock your bike and manage the pick-up through the app, but you can also do it manually at the Valenbisi station where you intend to take your bike.
If you’re not using your phone, remember that the displays and instructions at a terminal are in Spanish by default. If you want to change the language, you can do so on the top part of the home screen.
With the Valenbisi app
As mentioned above, you can manage your account through the app, including bike pick-up. This way, you won’t need to get or carry additional cards with you, and you can unlock a bike directly from your phone.
Here you have a step by step guide on taking out a Valenbisi bike with your mobile phone:
How to pick up a bike with the Valenbisi app
- Open the app when you’re already close to a Valenbisi station (the bikes cannot be booked in advance).
- On the map, select your Valenbisi station.
- Scroll down the list to find the bike you want. The bikes are numbered depending on their stand. Only available bikes can be selected.
- Swipe left on the bike you want to take out.
- You will now have 60-seconds to slide the bike out of its lock. After that, it will automatically lock the bike again.
- Adjust the bike seat if necessary
- Press the button on the stand to release the bike. Slide it off the lock, and you can go.
With a Móbilis card
If you prefer not to use your phone and you have an annual pass, you can choose to pair a Móbilis card to your account (this option is not available for weekly passes). This way, you’ll be able to pick up a bike without taking out your phone, and you won’t have to worry about service.
How to pick up a Valenbisi bike with a Móbilis card
- Approach a Valenbisi terminal and scan your card.
- Insert your 6-digit PIN (this is the code you chose when you created the account).
- You can now click on “take out a bike” (alquilar una bicicleta).
- An info page will remind you to properly lock your bike upon return. Click on the “next” button at the bottom right corner (siguiente).
- On the screen you’ll only see the numbers corresponding to the available bikes at your Valenbisi station. You can select whichever one you want by clicking on their number.
- When a “bike available” (bicicleta disponible) message appears on the screen, you can go get your bike.
- You now have 60 seconds to take out your bike. We suggest you adjust the seat before taking the bike out if needed.
- Press the button on the stand to release the bike. You can now slide i off the lock, and off you go.
When you take a bike out, the first 30 minutes of every ride are free of charge. This means that every time you take a Valenbisi, you won’t be paying anything for the first half-hour. After this time, there will be excess time fees that depend on your subscription.
With a subscription number
Yet another option is that of taking out a bike solely using your subscription number and your PIN code. No apps or cards are needed to do this, you only need to remember the subscription number.
You can use the subscription number with your weekly subscription at any Valenbisi station. As for the annual passes, only terminals that have updated systems can do it.
How to pick up a Valenbisi bike with a subscription number
- Approach a Valenbisi terminal. Have your subscription number at hand (you will have been sent this upon signing up).
- In the home page, click on “use valenbisi service” (utilizar el servicio valenbisi, in Spanish).
- Insert your subscription number.
- Insert your 6-digit PIN code (the code you chose when you created the account).
- Next up, you’ll find the available bikes on the screen, numbered according to their stand. You can select whichever one you want by clicking on their number on the screen.
- You now have 60 seconds to take out your bike. Adjust the seat if needed.
- If the station is updated, there’s no need to push the release button on the stand before you slide the bike off the lock.
Returning the bike
Returning your bike is even easier than taking it out. Here is a step-by-step guide:
How to return a Valenbisi bike
- Approach a Valenbisi station and slide your bike into any one of the empty stands
- Make sure you insert your bike into the lock fully.
- You’ll hear a confirmation signal (a double beep) when the bike is correctly secured. If the signal is an insistent or steady beep, it means your bike is not correctly inserted.
- You can now leave the station without any additional steps. If you’re not sure the bike is inserted correctly, you can scan your card at the terminal or check the app, and it will tell you whether it’s secured or not.
If you’re a long-term user and the station you wanted to return your bike to is full, you can simply tap your Móbilis card on the terminal’s reader, and this will give you an extra 15 minutes to find another station near you.
If you’re a short-term user, you have to identify yourself as such at the station’s terminal. This way, you’ll get an extra 15 minutes, as well as information about the nearest available station.
Remember that as long as your rental is active, you are responsible for your bike. This means that if you don’t return and lock your bike properly you might get charged for extra hours in which you did not use the bike. Even if someone else takes it (while your rental is still active) and uses it, you will be paying for that time too.
Up to €150.00 can be charged to your card, especially if your bike gets damaged, stolen or otherwise not returned to any station within 24 hours from the initial rental. This is why you always need to be extremely careful to lock your bike properly upon return. You can find more details about this in the penalties section of this article.
Troubleshooting
If you don’t hear the signal, or if the signal continues to sound insistently, the bike is not secured correctly. This means that the timer is still going, and you might be charged overtime. If you are not sure, you can double-check either by logging in at the terminal with your card or by checking the rides history on your app.
If the stand is malfunctioning, you can get in contact with Valenbisi (+34 900 900 722) and let them know what is happening.
If you don’t lock your bike properly by mistake and you get charged for many hours in which you did not use the bike, you can get in contact with Valenbisi (+34 900 900 722). If it is your first time locking the bike incorrectly, they will probably waive the penalty fee, but be careful to avoid this.
How to secure the bike while unattended
If you ever need to run a quick errand and park your bike for a few minutes, you need to make sure that the Valenbisi is secured, as you are considered responsible for it as long as your rental is active. Every Valenbisi comes with a basic lock and key that you can use for this purpose.
How to secure a Valenbisi bike
- Approach a bike parking spot.
- Take the chain from the basket, where it usually rests.
- The lock is already attached to the bike, so you only need to pass the chain around the bike parking spot.
- To secure it, insert the chain through the protruding metal insert piece and into the keyhole until it clicks.
- Remember to take the key out so that nobody else can unlock the bike.
- Don’t forget to put down the bike stand.
The best thing to do is to lock your Valenbisi to a bike parking spot or any urban furniture. However, remember that it’s illegal to park bikes to trees, lampposts, and building elements. Here is how you can lock your Valenbisi step by step.
If you can’t find anything to lock your bike onto, you can just pass the chain between the spokes of the wheel and secure the lock with your key. This way, the wheel will not turn and no one will be able to take your Valenbisi while you are away.
To unlock the Valenbisi, you just have to do the following:
- Slide the key back into the keyhole and turn it, releasing the lock.
- Put the chain back into the basket and you’re ready to go.
Costs overview
In the following table, you can see a price comparison for the two main subscription options. More details about short and long term subscriptions are in the relevant section.
| Subscription type |
|---|
| Subscription cost |
| Extra initial cost (one time only) |
| First 30 min. of use |
| 30 to 60 min. |
| 60 minutes onwards |
| Subscription type | Short term (7 days) | Long term (1 year) |
|---|---|---|
| Subscription cost | €13.30 | €29.21 |
| Extra initial cost (one time only) | None | €2.00 for the (plastic) Móbilis card or €1.00 (cardboard)* |
| First 30 min. of use | Free | Free |
| 30 to 60 min. | €1.04 | €0.52 |
| 60 minutes onwards | €3.12 every 60 min. | €2.08 every 60 min. |
The excess time fees are calculated according to the time bands within which they fall. This means that, within the same time band, it doesn’t matter how many minutes you keep your bike over time.
For example, if you were to use Valenbisi to go from the city centre to Malvarrosa beach, your total usage time would be about 45 minutes (15 minutes overtime). You would be charged the same if it took you 31 minutes (1 minute overtime) or 59 minutes (29 minutes overtime). In all these cases, if you had a 7-day subscription you would be charged €1.04, if you had an annual subscription you would be charged €0.52.
If instead, you were to cycle in the Turia park for a short 20 minutes, you wouldn’t have to pay extra with either of the two subscriptions.
Penalties
If your bike gets damaged, stolen, or otherwise lost while your booking is still active, you will be considered liable and might be required to pay up to €150.00.
During the sign-up process, at the moment of purchase, you will be asked to authorise the company to safely save your card details in case of non-compliance with the contract. This way, Valenbisi is allowed to take up to €150.00. This is why you always need to be extremely careful to lock your bike properly upon return. Below you’ll find a list of penalties that might apply.
| Offence |
|---|
| Penalty |
| Offence | Delay in return between 24 and 48 hours | Delay in return between 48 hours and 5 day | Delay in return between 6 and 7 days | Theft of disappearance of the bike* | Total or partial damage to the bike | Damage to the anti-theft system or loss of the key | Lending or renting the subscription to a third party* | Breach of any other conditions of the contract* |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Penalty | €50.00 | €100.00 | €150.00 | €150.00 | €150.00 | €10.00 | Temporary suspension for one month | Temporary suspension for one month |
*Repeated behaviour will incur in automatic and indefinite expulsion from Valenbisi. The same penalty applies for damages done to the Valenbisi system itself.
Young riders
The minimum age to get a Valenbisi subscription is 14 years of age. For weekly subscriptions, in the case of underage users, there is no required documentation. As for annual subscriptions, if you are under 18, you will need to provide an approval document from your legal tutor or parent to be able to sign up.
On the Valenbisi website or app, you’ll find a long term subscription option specifically for people aged 14-17. The cost of the subscription remains the same. At the end of the sign-up process for your subscription, your parent(s) or legal guardian(s) will receive a summary of the transaction, along with the approval document. In it, your legal guardian(s) will assume all liability for any damage or breach of contract caused by you.
The document has to be filled in, signed, and sent back with an attached copy of all the participants’ IDs (yours and your parents/legal guardians).
