Samba bike sharing popular in Rio

Samba, a bike sharing system launched last year in Rio de Janeiro, is proving popular with the city’s residents.

Samba bike stations are placed along the Copacabana beach promenade of the Brazilian capital.

The promenade is the hub of the city’s 140km of dedicated bike lanes, with the promenade road closed to motor traffic on Sundays.

Bike sharers, including residents and tourists, register online for the scheme, then unlock bikes from stations using their mobile phone.

Although there are currently only six bike sharing stations, the city aims to increase this to 42 by the end of the year.

Bike sharing schemes already operate in many European cities, including Paris, Barcelona, Stockholm, Oslo, Milan, and Berlin.