Even if someone is not traveling by car, you want to be there for them, says club president Reinicke. A pilot project for the new free offer has been running for a year – the helpers are usually called because of a flat tire.
The motorists’ club ADAC wants to offer nationwide roadside assistance for cyclists from June. ADAC President Christian Reinicke said before the general meeting on Saturday: “We are doing this to make membership in ADAC more attractive. We want to continue to grow as ADAC.” Reinicke has been in office for a year and recently made headlines with the request to leave the car at home and cycle to the bakery to save fuel. “Even if someone is traveling by bus, train or bike, we want to be there for them,” said Reinicke. He expects a lot of approval for this at the delegates’ meeting.
The new bicycle breakdown service should be free for the 21 million ADAC members. It has been running as a pilot project in Berlin and Brandenburg since July of last year. “Our breakdown helpers pull along well,” said Reinicke. In 75 percent of the cases, it’s about punctures. The repairs usually took just under 40 minutes – twice as long as with the car, because the breakdown helpers were still gaining experience, as ADAC board member Oliver Weissenberger says.
The association is also testing an ADAC locksmith service in several cities and offers premium members a health app with telemedical advice from German-speaking doctors when traveling abroad. The common idea behind it is “help in emergencies,” says Reinicke, referring to roadside assistance and air rescue. At the general meeting in Wiesbaden, an expansion of the ADAC offer to include the areas of health and home is to be decided by a two-thirds majority by changing the statutes. “The main reason for ADAC membership is still roadside assistance, by a large margin,” said Weissenberger.
The club is in good financial shape. The contributions were increased in 2020. On the other hand, costs fell because there was less traffic and less roadside assistance during the corona pandemic. The conversion of the members’ magazine engine world, which used to be sent monthly to all members, to a quarterly magazine that is available in supermarkets and ADAC offices, saves the association millions. The ADAC wants to invest money in new member services, including the expansion and linking of various apps. A year ago, Reinicke was elected to succeed August Markl, who had reformed the traditional club after the scandal surrounding the manipulated “Yellow Angel” car price.