A new online bike registration system aimed at discouraging and preventing bike theft was launched across the country today. The new identification system was developed and commissioned by Traxio Velo, the local bike industry association.
The system, which is called Velo-Pass, includes both an app and a national registration system with a central database that includes such details as a bike’s purchase date, the battery number, the frame number as well as photos of the bike and a scanned copy of the invoice.
The system should make it easier to trace and locate stolen bikes. It is estimated that 100 bikes are stolen every day in Belgium.
By scanning the secure Velo-Pass QR code on a bike, it will be possible for the police, but also second-hand bike vendors or any other user to learn who the bike belongs to, what maintenance it has undergone as well as any repairs performed.
Traxio Velo has said it will encourage bike vendors to start applying the new Velo-Pass QR code to all bikes sold to consumers from now on. Cyclists who would also like such an electronic bike ID to be applied to their used bike will be required to pay a €16 fee.
Linda A. Thompson
The Brussels Times
