Cyclists have come up with a solution for navigating the city – they've created a navigation app with no analogs in Lithuania

With the support of the Environmental Projects Management Agency (APVA), a social project has been implemented that will make life easier for cyclists: the "Burbi" app, which encourages choosing a bicycle for travel and helps plan safe and convenient cycling routes. The app provides information about cycling rules, points of interest, dangerous areas on the road, and allows users to share useful information with other cyclists. The further development of this unique social project will seek funding opportunities, with plans to collaborate with micromobility businesses.

In October 2022, a hackathon called "Green Life Hack: Mobility," organized by the Ministry of the Environment, the Ministry of Transport, APVA, and Tech Zity, was held to find innovative solutions related to sustainable mobility in cities and changing travel habits. The team from the Lithuanian Cyclists' Union won the hackathon with the idea to create an exclusive mobile app for cyclists, "Burbi," which has no analogs in Lithuania.

The app, funded by the European Union LIFE program and the Lithuanian state budget, includes a map with useful information for cyclists. The map shows low-traffic streets, road surfaces, connections, sidewalks, cycling rules, points of interest, and dangerous areas on the road. The app includes a social function that allows users to update map data based on information from local municipalities (e.g., reporting hazards, points of interest, etc.) and communicate with other users. It will also help cyclists choose the most convenient route from point A to point B. The app currently provides a map for choosing routes, and soon, it will allow navigation within it. "Daily city routes depend largely on the road situation. A cyclist is more likely to choose a scenic, safe route rather than a polluted and dangerous one. Therefore, the most important thing is to find the most comfortable path to the destination, considering these factors," says one of the founders of UAB "Burbi," Paulius Bakutis.

The app encourages choosing a bicycle for travel. The creators emphasize that the idea to develop the app arose from constantly encountering dangers while cycling: "We kept grumbling about problems with bike lanes. They would suddenly end, be too narrow, poor quality, or blocked by cars. Pedestrians often walk on bike lanes, and there are dangerous exits. These factors affect the cyclist's health. However, we realized that there are other useful things we want to share, like locations of bike service centers, points of interest, or just beautiful places," says P. Bakutis.

The app's creators are confident that, with cars dominating the streets, "Burbi" will help change urban space usage habits. They also hope that the app will serve an educational purpose, raising awareness of the benefits of cycling and making it more attractive.

Due to technological limitations, the app is currently only available for Android phones. It can be downloaded via Google Play or at www.burbi.app.

Future plans and opportunities The creators reveal that they plan to seek funding opportunities for the further development of this social project and business model. They plan to collaborate with food and delivery platforms (LastMile, Bolt, Wolt) that will soon start using autonomous robots, as well as other micromobility businesses.

The Environmental Projects Management Agency also reminds that cyclists can apply for a compensatory payment of 1,000 euros for purchasing a bicycle, either when buying a new one or when de-registering an old vehicle that has been scrapped. The application can be submitted online through the APVA information system at https://apvis.apva.lt by completing the application form.

We invite you to watch the informational video created to help you choose a bicycle even in the most difficult situations! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n2JQblPav8E