Freebike

What Freebike does

Freebike s.r.o. is a Prague-headquartered developer and operator of end-to-end electric bike sharing systems, founded in 2007 and active across 19 European cities spanning the Czech Republic, Finland, Poland, Slovakia, France, Spain, the UK, and Ireland. The company designs and manufactures its own hardware — electric bikes (Freebike 1 and Freebike C), modular docking stations (G2 and G5 systems), and complementary pedal bicycles — alongside an in-house cloud-based software suite covering backend operations, a frontend web portal, and iOS/Android consumer apps. The backend won a Microsoft Product of the Year award and the entire software stack runs on Microsoft cloud infrastructure. The Freebike C, launched in November 2021, is positioned as the world's first tap-and-ride shared e-bike, enabling rental by tapping a payment card or digital wallet without an app download.

The business is dual-sided. For city municipalities, Freebike provides turnkey public bike sharing systems under multi-year managed-services contracts — Lahti's 250-bike deployment is documented at approximately €500,000 per year — with local partner operators such as Leosport handling day-to-day maintenance, battery swaps, and station balancing, and end-user fees (season, weekly, daily passes) flowing through city revenue channels. For corporate and public-sector organisations, Freebike runs a "Freebike for Organisations" / "Freebike for Business" subscription offering — a flat monthly fee with volume discounts covering dedicated dockless electric bikes, maintenance, support, and insurance — with visible enterprise customers including Revolut, CBRE, IHS Markit, Stuart, Juno, NELFT NHS, Waltham Forest Council, and the London Borough of Redbridge.

The company operates through two legal entities — Freebike s.r.o. in Prague and Freebike Limited (registered in Dorchester, England) — and holds ISO 9001 certification across France, Czechia, Finland, Poland, and the UK, supporting cross-jurisdiction procurement qualification. Distribution is sales-led via direct enterprise and municipal outreach, supplemented by app-store distribution of consumer-facing apps, event presence at conferences such as Smart City Expo World Congress, and a Mastercard partnership that co-markets the Tap and Ride technology. The London public bike-share scheme was closed in August 2020 in response to inconsistent borough-level regulation, and the business refocused on the B2B fleet subscription model. Freebike remains privately held with no disclosed funding rounds, acquisitions, or institutional investor backing.

Name

Freebike

Legal name

Freebike s.r.o.

Website

https://freebike.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2007

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Freebike s.r.o. is a Prague-based developer and operator of end-to-end electric bike sharing systems, serving 19 European city municipalities through multi-year managed-services contracts and enterprises like Revolut and CBRE via subscription-based private fleet services.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Micro-mobility / Bike Sharing Systems

NAICS

Motorcycle, Bicycle, and Parts Manufacturing (336991), Recreational Goods Rental (532284)

SIC

Motorcycles, Bicycles & Parts (3751)

akta.pro primary industry

Station-Based Bike Rentals (Bikeshare) (THADAGAD)

akta.pro secondary industries

Bikeshare (Station-Based/Docked) (TLAFAMAE), E-Bike Rentals (THADAGAE), E-Bikes & Electric Bicycles (CRACASAA), Bike Rental, Demo & Tour Operators (Retail-Adjacent) (CRAMAHAJ)

Keywords

• Bike sharing systems
• Electric bike rental
• Micro-mobility solutions
• Corporate fleet services
• Smart city mobility

Headquarters

HQ city

London

HQ country

United Kingdom

HQ region

Europe

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

Supply Chain, Operations, Technology or R&D, Personnel, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. B2B Organization Fleet Services: Monthly subscription fee for private fleet of electric bikes for organizations. Flat monthly fee with pricing tiers based on number of bikes hired. Includes maintenance, support, and insurance.
2. City Public Bike Sharing Systems: B2B relationships with city municipalities providing complete bike sharing systems. Cities pay annual service fees (approximately 500,000 EUR/year for Lahti). User fees (season passes, weekly, daily) provide additional revenue.
3. System Hardware Sales: Sale of bikes, ebikes, stations (G2 and G5), and related hardware to cities and organizations. Includes expected 6-year life for bikes.
4. Software Licensing: Cloud-based software solution (backend, frontend, mobile apps) provided as part of the system. Updates provided free every 3 months.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion3 records

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Freebike designs, manufactures, and operates complete bike sharing systems sold to city municipalities and, under the 'Freebike for Organisations' sub-brand, to enterprises as private employee fleets. The offering bundles proprietary electric bikes (Freebike 1 with GPS/GSM and Freebike C with Tap and Ride contactless card rental), G2/G5 docking stations, pedal bicycles, and a cloud-based software suite (backend, frontend, mobile apps) hosted on Microsoft servers. Maintenance, customer support, and software updates are included, with pricing structured as monthly subscriptions for organisations and multi-year managed service contracts for cities.

Product overview

Freebike offers a platform of bike sharing products consisting of shared eBike systems (Freebike 1 and Freebike C electric bikes) for public city deployments, docking station hardware (G2 and G5 stations with different locking mechanisms), pedal bicycles (G2 and G5 models), and a proprietary software suite (backend, frontend, mobile apps) developed entirely in-house. The company also operates a B2B sub-brand called 'Freebike for Organisations' providing private fleets of electric bikes exclusively for enterprise employees and tenants, with dedicated support and maintenance included.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Freebike 1: Electric bike with GPS/GSM monitoring, accelerometer, alarm system, card reader, motor mode, and recuperation features. 135 km range.
• Freebike C
• Mankeli

Products and services

• Freebike C (Tap and Ride electric bike) The world's first tap-and-ride electric bike allowing rental by tapping a payment card or digital wallet in roughly 4 seconds without requiring app download or registration; 135 km range with regenerative braking and a swappable battery. Sold to city municipalities and enterprises.
• Freebike 1 (Electric bike) Electric bike sharing bike equipped with GPS/GSM for remote monitoring, accelerometer for condition tracking, alarm siren for theft protection, card reader for swipe rental, motor mode with configurable max speed and acceleration, and regenerative braking. 135 km range, 6-year expected life. Sold to cities and organisations.
• Freebike Software Suite (TKHS backend + frontend + mobile apps) Award-winning cloud-based bike sharing software suite comprising a backend (secure operator connection, remote control, operational statistics, tariff module, SMS/email, logging, maintenance management), a frontend (scheme website with online payments, social media integration, CMS), and iOS/Android mobile apps with QR rentals, tariff subscription, payments, maps, user accounts, rental history, and a dedicated servicemen app. Hosted on Microsoft cloud infrastructure. Sold as part of the bike sharing system deployment.
• G2 Station (docking station with spike locking) Docking station with a minimalistic spike locking system for securing bikes. Modular design supporting up to 6 locks per module; solar or electric powered. Sold to city municipalities as part of complete bike sharing deployments.
• G5 Station (docking station with bar locking) Robust docking station with bar locking system for securing bikes. Modular design with up to 6 locks per module; solar or electric powered. Sold to city municipalities as part of complete bike sharing deployments.
• G2 Pedal Bicycle Pedal bicycle model compatible with G2 stations, featuring urban design, low-step frame, integrated components, and anti-theft measures. Sold as part of city bike sharing deployments.
• G5 Pedal Bicycle Pedal bicycle model compatible with G5 stations, featuring robust frame, antipuncture tires, and configurable drive options. Sold as part of city bike sharing deployments.
• Freebike for Organisations (private fleet service) Subscription-based private fleet solution that gives organisations their own dedicated fleet of dockless electric bikes exclusively for employees or tenants. Includes onboarding, battery swapping, maintenance, customer service, a dedicated account manager, and usage analytics for a flat monthly fee with volume-based discounts. Customers include Revolut, CBRE, IHS Markit, Stuart, Juno, NELFT NHS, Waltham Forest Council, and London Borough of Redbridge.

Quantifiable outcome

• 100,000+ km traveled by NHS workers during COVID-19 response
• +4 more outcomes

Named customers10 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature5 records

Partnerships

Three partnerships are on record, tiered core.

• Moby (Dublin)coreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ Distributor · 1 April 2022Moby is the local operator partner for Freebike's Dublin, Ireland launch in April 2022. Freebike provides the technology while Moby handles local operations.
• MastercardcoreGTM or Marketing Partner · 15 November 2021Mastercard supported Freebike's presence at Smart City Expo World Congress in Barcelona. The partnership helped showcase Freebike's Tap and Ride technology which allows rental via payment card.
• Leosport (Lahti/Kuopio Operator)coreImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerLeosport is the local service operator for Kuopio and Lahti bike sharing systems, handling day-to-day operations, bike maintenance, battery swapping, and station balancing.

Scale indicators7 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Regional players

• Bycyklen (Copenhagen): Copenhagen's municipal electric bike-share operator using proprietary bikes and station-based docks. Compares on station-based e-bike model and city-government customer, though confined to Danish market.
• Moventia / Bicibox: Spanish mobility operator running public bike-share systems in Catalonia and other Spanish regions. Comparable regional station-based municipal model, though focused on Spain rather than competing directly in Freebike's markets.

Broad incumbents

• Bolt (micromobility): Bolt operates shared e-scooters and e-bikes across 200+ European cities as part of its broader ride-hail and mobility super-app. Competes in the same city RFP market with stronger app ecosystem and capital.
• JCDecaux: JCDecaux operates major city bike-share contracts (Velib' Paris, Santander bikes) as part of its broader outdoor advertising and street furniture portfolio. Competes for the largest municipal tenders with bundled advertising economics Freebike cannot match.

Direct peers

• Tier Mobility: Tier provides shared e-scooters and e-bikes across European cities with a vertically integrated hardware-software stack. Similar end-to-end operator model and city procurement focus.
• Lime: Lime operates shared e-bikes and e-scooters globally with a strong app-based rental experience and city partnerships. Comparable in dockless/electric bike-sharing model and target urban commuters, though with significantly greater capital scale.
• Voi Technology: Voi operates shared e-scooters and e-bikes across 100+ European cities, partnering with municipalities on multi-year tenders. Comparable in city contract structure, European footprint, and shared micro-mobility thesis.
• Beryl: UK-based bike share operator (formerly oBike) running city schemes with proprietary bikes and station/dockless hybrids. Direct geographic and product overlap with Freebike's UK operations and B2B offering.
• Donkey Republic: Donkey Republic runs dockless bike-sharing networks across European cities targeting both residents and tourists with a partner-franchise operator model. Directly comparable in shared-bike urban mobility and city partnerships.
• Nextbike: Nextbike operates station-based bike sharing systems in 300+ cities across Europe, very similar to Freebike's station-based municipal model. Closest comparable in target market, deployment model, and city-tender business.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights5 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/freebikeuk
• YouTubeyoutube.com/channel/UCaGmrQeISvyG5H3ReW7G9Pg
• Facebookfacebook.com/FreebikeCom
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/freebikeglobal
• Instagraminstagram.com/freebike_uk

Compliance1 record

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles2 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Freebike