Be it two wheels or four, the shared season is beginning in earnest, but some firms are facing difficulties. In Central Europe, the cycling season is getting underway as Spring approaches, and city bike-sharing systems such as Veturillo in Warsaw, Mevo in the Tri-City Area, and Rekola in the main cities of the Czechia and Slovakia are appearing on the streets from March 1.
By David Kennedy
Other companies such as Bolt, Dott, and Lime provide scooters and e-bikes.
Warsaw’s main sharing system Veturillo, run by Nextbike, is a way to avoid the growing build-up of traffic in the capital, made worse by the construction of new tram and metro lines, bridge repairs, and parking charges, which have been recently extended from 6 p.m. until 8 p.m. each evening.
Verturillo users download an app and transfer a deposit of at least PLN 10, around EUR 2.50, after which the first twenty minutes of riding is free, with a PLN 1 (EUR 0.25) charge for up to an hour, PLN 3 (EUR 0.75) for the next hour. Electric bikes are also free for the first twenty minutes, after which there is a six zloty or EUR 50 charge for up to 60 minutes and PLN 10 thereafter.
Mevo in Gdańsk has a similar system of pay-as-you-go biking but also offers a monthly or annual subscription for around PLN 30 ( EUR 7) or PLN 259 (EUR 60). The network is, however, huge, stretching from Gdańsk through Sopot and Gdynia and right along to the Hel Peninsula. An electric bike is extremely handy there to tackle some of the hills.
In Prague, as well as a Nextbike system, Rekola, which was founded in Vaasa in Finland, has grown to be a key market player, operating in six Czech cities and expanding in Slovakia. Their model is an app-operated locking system that does not require docking. A single journey costs CZK 35, around EUR 1.40, but for a little bit more you can take a limited subscription for four 30-minute journeys a month for CZK 59 or EUR 2.30.
The environmental arguments for shared mobility speak for themselves. A science online article referred to a 2021 study in Massachusetts that found the introduction of a bike-sharing system led to a 3.3% drop in vehicle miles traveled, car ownership went down by 2.2%, and greenhouse gases were reduced by 2.9%. However, the study did mention that those who were most likely to switch transport modes were public transport passengers or pedestrians. Drivers who switched tended to be those under 30, who drove to work alone. Nevertheless, those who did opt for bikes often noticed a reduction in journey time.
However, despite the benefits of alternative modes of transport, the landscape of the shared mobility landscape is changing and some of the market leaders in Poland are facing difficulties or disappearing altogether.
Unlike Prague, which has several main players in the market, that are growing both passenger numbers and the average distance covered on each journey, Warsaw has seen the numbers decrease.
Nextbike, the main player “still remains under reconstruction” Adam Jędrzejewski, until recently the head of the Mobilne Miasto (or mobile city) Association, and regular guest on PolandIN and TVP World wrote in Smart Ride, an industry website. He said that obviously “the price model is just not right yet” for the companies to make money.
In the e-kick scooter market, Jędrzejewski wrote that Tier and Dott were going to merge in order to save costs, while the final player in the e-scooter or moped market ceased its service at the end of 2023.
Car sharing is another area fraught with difficulty in Poland. One of the front runners, Panek has gone into administration, citing the tough times after the pandemic and incidences of worker fraud as key reasons for their difficulties. This leaves more space for maneuvers to Trafficar, which expanded both its fleet and its revenues last year.
Much now depends on consumer confidence, as well as the weather. The Polish economy is forecast to grow, while falling inflation may finally bring some respite and a desire to get on the saddle or behind the wheel.
Other companies such as Bolt, Dott, and Lime provide scooters and e-bikes.
Warsaw’s main sharing system Veturillo, run by Nextbike, is a way to avoid the growing build-up of traffic in the capital, made worse by the construction of new tram and metro lines, bridge repairs, and parking charges, which have been recently extended from 6 p.m. until 8 p.m. each evening.
Verturillo users download an app and transfer a deposit of at least PLN 10, around EUR 2.50, after which the first twenty minutes of riding is free, with a PLN 1 (EUR 0.25) charge for up to an hour, PLN 3 (EUR 0.75) for the next hour. Electric bikes are also free for the first twenty minutes, after which there is a six zloty or EUR 50 charge for up to 60 minutes and PLN 10 thereafter.
Mevo in Gdańsk has a similar system of pay-as-you-go biking but also offers a monthly or annual subscription for around PLN 30 ( EUR 7) or PLN 259 (EUR 60). The network is, however, huge, stretching from Gdańsk through Sopot and Gdynia and right along to the Hel Peninsula. An electric bike is extremely handy there to tackle some of the hills.
In Prague, as well as a Nextbike system, Rekola, which was founded in Vaasa in Finland, has grown to be a key market player, operating in six Czech cities and expanding in Slovakia. Their model is an app-operated locking system that does not require docking. A single journey costs CZK 35, around EUR 1.40, but for a little bit more you can take a limited subscription for four 30-minute journeys a month for CZK 59 or EUR 2.30.
The environmental arguments for shared mobility speak for themselves. A science online article referred to a 2021 study in Massachusetts that found the introduction of a bike-sharing system led to a 3.3% drop in vehicle miles traveled, car ownership went down by 2.2%, and greenhouse gases were reduced by 2.9%. However, the study did mention that those who were most likely to switch transport modes were public transport passengers or pedestrians. Drivers who switched tended to be those under 30, who drove to work alone. Nevertheless, those who did opt for bikes often noticed a reduction in journey time.
However, despite the benefits of alternative modes of transport, the landscape of the shared mobility landscape is changing and some of the market leaders in Poland are facing difficulties or disappearing altogether.
Unlike Prague, which has several main players in the market, that are growing both passenger numbers and the average distance covered on each journey, Warsaw has seen the numbers decrease.
Nextbike, the main player “still remains under reconstruction” Adam Jędrzejewski, until recently the head of the Mobilne Miasto (or mobile city) Association, and regular guest on PolandIN and TVP World wrote in Smart Ride, an industry website. He said that obviously “the price model is just not right yet” for the companies to make money.
In the e-kick scooter market, Jędrzejewski wrote that Tier and Dott were going to merge in order to save costs, while the final player in the e-scooter or moped market ceased its service at the end of 2023.
Car sharing is another area fraught with difficulty in Poland. One of the front runners, Panek has gone into administration, citing the tough times after the pandemic and incidences of worker fraud as key reasons for their difficulties. This leaves more space for maneuvers to Trafficar, which expanded both its fleet and its revenues last year.
Much now depends on consumer confidence, as well as the weather. The Polish economy is forecast to grow, while falling inflation may finally bring some respite and a desire to get on the saddle or behind the wheel.
Source: TVP World
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