Looking to two-wheel it in the big city? There are a couple of ways you can make it happen, here’s the most up-to-date information for you:
If you are a local or plan to stick around: Mexico City’s citywide bike sharing program is called Eco-bici. You will see the lines of red bikes with white wheel covers (and some of the new ones are lime green color) in most of the city’s most transited and touristy neighborhoods — Cuauhtémoc, Tabacalera, San Miguel Chapultepec, Centro, Juárez, Roma Norte, Hipódromo Condesa, Polanco and Condesa. To sign up as a local you need an official ID (IFE, passport, FM3, FM2, or driver’s license), a credit or debit card.
If you are here for a short period of time: Eco-bici offers payment plans for 1 day (118 pesos), 3 days (234 pesos) , a week (391 pesos), or a year (521 pesos).
All their registration is now online at www.ecobici.cdmx.gob.mx. (and it’s in English). You’ll need an official ID (for foreigners that means passport) and a Visa or Mastercard. Once you pay, you will be asked to enter a pin to use on the Eco-bici machines. After that, they will confirm that you have registered correctly and you will get a user number and pin to enter each time you take a bike from one of the stations. Make sure that when you return the bike and place it into the holder that the machine says “bicicleta devuelta correctamente” meaning it is attached correctly and you won’t be charged additional time. The limit for rides is 45 minutes and it’s about two dollars every additional hour that you have your bike out past that amount. If you choose one of the short plans you don’t have to use it right away, but get 5 days to start your plan, so you can sign up in advance of your trip if you’d like.
There are two other options as well, the first is called Poráy, and has two offices, one in Mexico City’s business district on Reforma Avenue and one at Huerto Roma Verde. This company rents bikes by the hour – 2 hours for 140 pesos, 4 hours for 280 pesos, half day for 300 pesos, and a full day for 350 pesos, 24 hours for 450 pesos, overnight (6pm to 9am) for 450 pesos – or the by the week for 1,150p. They have a variety of bike types including street bikes, cruisers and tandems and bicitaxis if you want to be driven around. The bikes include helmets and U-locks and they will rent you a baby bike seat.
In order to rent a bike you must leave an official piece of identification at their offices. For non-nationals this means either a driver’s license, a passport or an official ID from the Mexican Department of Immigration (FM3 or FM2). You also need a proof of residence for your stay in Mexico City – a copy of an Airbnb or hotel receipt (I guess if you’re staying with friends you have to bring them along as proof). MCS was assured over the phone that there are staff at either office that speak English. This company also offers several bike tours that you can see descriptions of (in Spanish) on their website.
Addresses:
Reforma #24, Juarez
Jalapa #234, Huerto Roma Verde, Roma
Phone:
Reforma +52 55 5035 1810
Roma +52 55 1394 7714
Hours:
Reforma Office, Mon, Wed, Fri, Sat 10am – 6pm, Sun 10am-4pm
Roma Office, Tues & Thurs 10am-2pm, Sat & Sun 10am-4pm
You can also rent free bikes through the company Bicigratis, which has stands throughout the city that look a little like newspaper stands with their logos on them. Most of these can be found along Reforma Avenue, but there is one near the Cibeles fountain in Roma on Durango street, one in Coyoacan, and one in the Zocalo. The rentals are up to three hours’ maximum and you must return your bike to the same station where you picked it up. If you pass your three-hour limit they will charge you a 200p fine. For non-nationals, they only accept passports as a valid form of ID (and bring an additional form of ID just in case like a drivers’ license). There’s no website and if you call, expect a Spanish speaker.
Address: Along Reforma Avenue, 2 stands in Polanco, and 3 stands in Coyoacan Phone: +52 55 5574 6798 Hours: Mon to Sat 10am-5:45pm (last rental at 5pm), Sun 8am-2:45pm (last rental 2pm)
A new rental service, Dezba is now being offered in Polanco, Roma, Jaurez and Condesa neighborhoods that I haven’t yet tried myself. For these rentals you have to download the app to your phone, add your information, then scan the QR code on the bike to unlock it. They have a weekly, monthly, and yearly plan that you can sign up for as well as the daily rate which is 1p a minute with a max of 45 minutes each ride. You can only leave the bikes within the coverage zone (those four neighborhoods) or you will be charged a 25 dollar fine.
We also HAD both Mobike and Uber bikes (Jump) for about a year but both it seems have canceled their service in Mexico City, although news reports suggest that Mobike may be back at some point. I will keep you updated!
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