Havana, Nov 24 (ACN) A public system for renting bicycles began operating today, experimentally, in this capital, as a result of the joint effort of the Office of the Historian of Havana, the general direction of Transportation in the province, the government of the Basque Country and its technological corporation Tecnalia. In the Emboque de Luz of Avenida del Puerto was the inauguration, where in the presence of Antonio Enrique Lusson, member of the Central Committee of the Party, authorities of the capital and invited personalities, Patricia Rodriguez, director of the Master Plan in the Office of the Historian , highlighted the scope of the initiative, conceived among the actions for the 500th anniversary of Villa de San Cristóbal de La Habana and named after Ha'Bici. He recalled that if in the 90's the massive use of this means of transport responded to an imperative to face the so-called Special Period, given then the shortage of fuel, today it resurfaces as an alternative more depending on the mobility of the population, in tune with the preservation of the environment, the improvement for the physical health of the people, and the enjoyment of the heritage of the Historical Center and other sites. In the simple act, Guadalupe Rodriguez, of the Provincial Transport General Direction, pointed out that the implementation of the aforementioned project, and its gradual extension to the rest of the city, is one of the strategic lines to improve public transportation, since the Urban cycling helps to decongest this service, especially during peak hours. Both she and the director of the Master Plan thanked the Basque Country and its Tecnalia corporation for the donation of 60 bicycles, in which workers from the Office of the Historian were today the first to visit some streets of Old Havana, designed even as bicycle paths and in whose route is located parking areas and sentry boxes for rent. From now on, Nayvis Díaz Labaut, director of the Velo Cuba project, in charge of providing the service, explained to the ACN that all those who wish to do so, including foreigners residing in Cuba, can now become regular customers, for which they must pay at the time of registration. month 60 pesos in national currency. This will allow you to use one of our bicycles for one hour, from Tuesday to Sunday, from nine in the morning to six in the afternoon, although in summer time it could be extended, and if you are an occasional customer you will pay 50 pesos per hour , but for us, in addition to taking care of the cycle, it is important to comply with the time hired, he stressed. In the parent company of Velocuba, in Prado 20, where the maintenance workshop operates, there is one of the authorized points for rent, delivery or reception of the cycle, while the rest are located in Compostela, in the Raquel hotel parking lot, in the Maestranza Park, in the Almacenes de San Jose, in the Plazuela de las Ursulinas and in the Emboque or Luz pier, all in Old Havana, said Díaz Labaut. He explained that in each of these places will be available all the information needed by the population in terms of prices (including those that correspond to loss or breakage of any piece), schedules, rights and duties, and stressed that with the help of the University of Computer Sciences have an automated system for the control, monitoring and efficient development of the service.