From 19 September to 18 October, it said in a statement, 860 people signed up for the scheme, with 90% of these being annual subscriptions. Of the total, 91% opted for electric bicycles.

Once fully installed, the Lisbon bike-sharing scheme– dubbed Gira – is to be composed of 140 docking stations and 1,410 bicycles. Of the stations, 92 are to be in the city centre - 27 of them downtown or on the riverfront, 15 in the Parque das Nações (former Expo 98 site) and six along the axis running from Avenida Fontes Pereira de Melo and Avenida da Liberdade.

The three types of memberships available are an annual pass (€25), a monthly pass (€15) and a daily pass (€10). The first two are to be available only to residents of Portugal, with the third aimed mostly at tourists.

Gira is to function every day from 7am to midnight, with trips only allowed with the Lisbon municipality.

The first people to sign up for Gira this year are to have their annual pass extended to the end of 2018.

In a statement, EMEL described the project as “an important contribution to transforming Lisbon into a more accessible city”.