EIT Urban Mobility, an initiative of the European Institute of Innovation and Technology (EIT), a body of the EU, will actively participate in European Mobility Week 2025, organised by the European Commission. This year’s theme, “Mobility for Everyone,” emphasises ensuring that sustainable transport is accessible to all, regardless of income, location, gender, or abilities. Many Europeans face challenges such as high costs or limited transport options, a situation known as transport poverty, which restricts access to jobs, education, and essential services.
In 2025, European Mobility Week calls for envisioning a society where public transport, walking, and cycling are safe, inclusive, and affordable options for everyone.
Upcoming collaborative study on bike-sharing benefits
EIT Urban Mobility, in collaboration with Cycling Industries Europe, has commissioned a new EY study that will quantify the social, economic, and environmental impact of bike-sharing schemes across European cities. The study will be presented next month and will include projections for 2030, showing how bike-sharing can support sustainable and inclusive urban mobility in the years to come.
Evidence gathered from cities for the study, already highlights key benefits of bike-sharing in Europe:
- Over 50% of shared bike users combine trips with public transport, showing bikes complement buses, metros, and trains.
- Shared bicycles can reduce individual mobility costs by up to 90%, helping tackle transport inequalities.
- Bike-sharing produces over six times fewer greenhouse gas emissions than private cars. In 2024, schemes helped avoid 46kT of CO2e—the equivalent of the annual emissions of 4,300 Europeans.
- Two-thirds of trips replace sedentary travel, encouraging healthier lifestyles and preventing ~900 chronic disease cases in 2024, saving €40 million in healthcare costs.
- Bike-sharing reduces congestion, saving 760,000 hours and generating €30 million in productivity gains.
- Every 75 shared bicycles create one new job on average.
EIT Urban Mobility invites cities, organisations, and citizens to register now to stay informed and be among the first to access the full study when it is released next month. This current data provides a snapshot of the status quo, while the forthcoming study will reveal how urban mobility could evolve by 2030.
Bernadette Bergsma, Director of Communications and EU Affairs, EIT Urban Mobility: “European Mobility Week reminds us that sustainable transport must work for everyone. Europe’s mobility systems must adapt to an aging, urbanising society, and solutions like bike-sharing show how we can reduce costs, reduce emissions, improve health, and ensure no one is left behind. The forthcoming study on bike-sharing will help cities see how small shifts in mobility choices can generate major social, economic, and environmental benefits by 2030.”
Lauha Fried, Policy Director, Cycling Industries: “For the first time, we will have robust evidence of the return on investment in bike-sharing. Bike-sharing plays a unique role in making cycling affordable and accessible for everyone while driving the shift to zero-carbon mobility. This study can transform the way cities see cycling as part of their transport and clean air strategies – showing how bike-sharing is not just a service, but a powerful tool for delivering greener, cleaner, and more liveable cities, and healthier, happier Europeans.”
European steps challenge: walking for cities and well-being
From 16 August to 22 September 2025, EIT Urban Mobility, in collaboration with Walk15, invites citizens across Europe to participate in the European Steps Challenge, a month-long step-counting competition to promote active lifestyles and sustainable mobility. Participants simply download the Walk15 app, join the challenge, and contribute their steps to their city’s total. The most active cities will be recognized during European Mobility Week.
EIT Urban Mobility continues to track emerging mobility trends, including insights from the Better Mobility Trend report 2025, which highlights the growing need for accessible and inclusive solutions for an aging, urbanising Europe. EIT Urban Mobility remains committed to transforming urban transport, making sustainable, accessible, and inclusive mobility a reality for everyone.
