He has only been here with his repair bus for about an hour and a half, and already two bikes are waiting for him. One is hanging on the brackets in the van, the other is outside with a work order under its speedbands. Stijn Biemans of Bike Support is the bike mechanic who helps the campus community with minor repairs. He has all the necessary tools in his van. It’s his workshop on wheels.

“The bike mechanic should help make it more attractive for students and employees to come to campus by bike,” says Daniëlle Vermeulen. She and Maurice Maassen, from Parking & Access Control, set up the bike repair service. “We want to promote cycling more in general. And if someone has a flat tire, a light broken, or a chain off, it's nice to have someone on campus who can fix it right away.”

Discount

For at least the next three months, the bike mechanic will be on campus every Thursday; if it turns out there is enough demand, he will continue to come weekly after that. Vermeulen: “It is really still a test, we have to see how it goes and whether things still need to be adjusted.”

Coming by pays off, because Biemans gives a discount of one euro per minute. “Normally we charge almost double. That's a nice discount, if I can say so myself. On average, a small repair takes about fifteen minutes.” Upon presentation of a campus card, students and employees receive an additional ten percent discount on repairs.

Same day

How many bikes can he repair per day? “It depends on the number and size of the repairs, but I can do quite a few in a day,” the bike mechanic says with a laugh. Anyone who presents a bike - you can just walk by, no appointment is necessary - is helped the same day.