German bike share company nextbike has announced that it has had 25% more rentals in the first half of 2024 compared to the same period last year.
The Leipzig-based company has approximately 120,000 bikes on the road across Europe, which have been ridden roughly 24 million times already this year. In 2023, nextbike had accrued around 45 million rentals in total. The firm also revealed it has had 93% more people ride a nextbike for the first time in 2024.
Launches in Spain, Slovakia and Poland, as well as the expansion of existing fleets such as the “wupsi Rad” in Leverkusen, demonstrate continued demand for micromobility as a complement to public transport.
The announcement comes as nextbike celebrates its 20th anniversary year. Now in over 300 locations in more than 20 countries, nextbike has been one of the pioneers of the mobility revolution helping establish bike sharing as a core component of public transport worldwide.
Sebastian Popp, CEO of nextbike, told Zag Daily: “We are delighted to see that even after 20 years in the business, the demand for our offer has not changed. To the contrary, every year more people take to one of our bikes across Europe. Bike sharing as part of public infrastructure has become indispensable in thousands of cities and municipalities, and our business model proves to be more effective than ever.”
One of nextbike’s key learnings on what drives the modal shift to micromobility, is “a holistic yet individual approach”. Only in close collaboration and with the support of city and municipal officials can a bike share scheme succeed, it said. At its best, a bike share scheme is seamlessly integrated into public transport and easily accessible for everyone, as much in terms of pricing as in terms of availability. At the same time, each and every scheme needs to be custom-made and needs to reflect a city’s or region’s distinct topography, infrastructure and culture.
The successful first half of the year began with the launch of 200 all-electric bikes and 26 stations in the Spanish city of Santander, followed by 100 bikes and 13 stations in the city of Logronño.
Another major launch took place in March in partnership with nextbike Polska: The Upper Silesian Metropolitan Region (GZM) will have a total of 7,000 bikes in 31 cities. Up to two million people will potentially use the system.
In Senica, Slovakia, 60 new electronic and 85 pedal bikes have been made available as of April with nextbike now represented in three Slovakian cities.
The expansion of existing bike share schemes also progressed in the first half of the year. After winning the tender, the “VAG_Rad” in southern Germany was re-equipped with 550 additional bikes bringing a total of 2,550 bikes for use in Nuremberg, Fürth, Erlangen and Schwabach; while in Leverkusen the fleet has doubled.
