Charichari
Charichari is a Japanese direct-to-consumer bicycle-sharing service that uses a smartphone app to unlock IoT-enabled red bicycles from a 630+ port network across six cities including Fukuoka, Tokyo, Nagoya, Kumamoto, Kyoto, and Otsu, serving urban commuters with per-minute pricing on standard and electric-assist bicycles.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2019
- HeadquartersFukuoka-shi, Japan
- Headcount11–50
- GTM typeB2C
- OfferingServices
What Charichari does
Charichari, Inc. (チャリチャリ株式会社) is a Japanese direct-to-consumer bicycle-sharing service that operates a smartphone app enabling users to locate and unlock dedicated red bicycles at distributed ports across six cities. Founded in 2019 as a 100% subsidiary of Mercari via spin-off from Souzou Inc., and rebranded from neuet Inc. to Charichari Inc. in April 2024, the company is headquartered in Fukuoka with additional offices in Tokyo, Nagoya, and Kumamoto, and operations expanded to Kyoto and Otsu in 2025-2026 via the absorption of KyuBee's kotobike business.
The company's product is a station-based bike-sharing system comprising IoT-enabled smart-lock bicycles (both standard city cycles and electric-assist models), a high-density port network of 630+ locations, and a smartphone application for unlocking, locating, and paying for rides. The fleet totals approximately 3,000 bicycles as of mid-2023, with an additional 1,100 electric-assist bicycles funded through the proprietary Chari Regional Infrastructure Investment Fund deployed in 2025. Cumulative ride volume exceeded 15 million by May 2023, and electric-assist rides in Fukuoka and Kumamoto alone reached 124,000+ monthly with 2.2x year-over-year growth by August 2023. The technology stack relies on conventional IoT telemetry rather than disclosed AI capabilities.
Charichari operates a usage-based revenue model with per-minute pricing paid through the app, monetizing short urban trips for daily commuting, last-mile connectivity, and tourism mobility. The business model is augmented by an unusually sophisticated financial ecosystem: the company has pioneered Japan's first movable-asset trust product using shared bicycles as underlying collateral, partnering with MUFJ Trust Bank, Music Securities, and Impact Circle, alongside multiple regional bank venture funds (Saga Bank, Higo Bank, Sagin Capital, Higo Capital) and six finance-lease partners for fleet procurement. The company is vertically integrated through group entities wimo Inc. (bicycle manufacturing) and Byuchari Inc. (used bicycle sales), enabling in-house supply and design control. Registered capital is ¥10M as of December 2025; revenue is not publicly disclosed.
Charichari firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Charichari
- Legal name
- チャリチャリ株式会社
- Website
- https://charichari.co.jp
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2019
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 11–50 employees
- Short description
- Charichari is a Japanese direct-to-consumer bicycle-sharing service that uses a smartphone app to unlock IoT-enabled red bicycles from a 630+ port network across six cities including Fukuoka, Tokyo, Nagoya, Kumamoto, Kyoto, and Otsu, serving urban commuters with per-minute pricing on standard and electric-assist bicycles.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Charichari industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Bike Sharing Services
- NAICS
- Taxi and Ridesharing Services (48531)
- SIC
- Transportation Services (4700)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Bikeshare (Station-Based/Docked) (TLAFAMAE)
- akta.pro secondary industries
- E-Bikes & Electric Bicycles (CRACASAA), Bike Service, Repair & Maintenance Shops (CRAMAHAH)
Keywords
Where Charichari is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Fukuoka-shi
- HQ country
- Japan
- HQ region
- Asia
Offices4 records
Markets served
Charichari business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2C
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Operations, Supply Chain, Infrastructure, Personnel, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales
Revenue model
- Per-minute bike sharing fees: Users pay per minute for bicycle usage through the smartphone app. The service offers both standard city cycles and electric assist bicycles.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Usage-based | Pay-as-you-go | Per-minute usage pricing for bike sharing |
Go-to-market motion1 record
Distribution channels1 record
Marketing channels3 records
Charichari product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Charichari operates a smartphone app-based bike-sharing service using dedicated red bicycles equipped with IoT-enabled smart locks. Users locate, unlock, and pay per minute via the app, with both standard city cycles and electric assist bicycles available at high-density port locations. The service provides flexible short-distance urban transportation and last-mile connectivity across Fukuoka, Nagoya, Tokyo, Kumamoto, and Kyoto/Otsu in Japan.
Product overview
Charichari operates a unified bike sharing service (Charichari) accessible via smartphone app, using dedicated red bicycles with IoT-enabled smart locks. The service offers both standard city cycles and electric assist bicycles. The company expanded through acquisition of the kotobike brand in Kyoto and Otsu (December 2025), which will be rebranded to Charichari. Operations span multiple areas in Japan: Fukuoka (mother city), Nagoya, Tokyo, Kumamoto, and newly added Kyoto and Otsu. The service features minute-based pricing and high-density port deployment for flexible urban mobility.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- Charichari Bike Sharing Service Smartphone app-based bike-sharing service using dedicated red bicycles with IoT-enabled smart locks. Users unlock bicycles via the app and pay per minute, with high-density port deployment providing accessible urban mobility. Both standard city cycles and electric assist bicycles are offered for individual consumers needing daily commuting and short-distance transportation.
Quantifiable outcome
- 124,000+ monthly rides on electric assist bicycles (August 2023, Fukuoka/Kumamoto)
- +2 more outcomes
Companies that use Charichari
Customer profileSegments1 record
Ideal customer profiles2 records
Charichari technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed Yes
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Feature3 records
Charichari partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Three partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.
- Kyuboe (株式会社きゅうべえ)coreBusiness succession through absorption split - Charichari succeeded Kyuboe's bike sharing service 'kotobike' in Kyoto and Otsu cities. Kyuboe is a long-established bicycle shop in Kyoto.
- wimo (wimo株式会社)Bicycle manufacturing partner within Charichari group that supplies shared cycling bicycles to Kyuboe. Also a group company of Charichari.
- Byuchari (バイチャリ株式会社)minorUsed bicycle sales business operated as group company. Took over former Kyuboe Nishi-in store location as Byuchari Kyoto Nishi-in store in March.
Scale indicators7 records
Recent moves4 records
Expansion highlights5 records
Charichari competitors and assessment
Company assessmentBroad incumbents
- Uber: Previously operated JUMP bike-share and Lime partnership — comparable as a global mobility platform that has entered and exited bike-share, illustrating both the opportunity and execution challenges in micromobility at scale.
- Voi: European micromobility operator with shared e-scooters and e-bikes across 100+ cities — comparable business model and tech stack to Charichari, though focused on European markets with electric-heavy fleet.
- Lime: Global micromobility leader operating shared bikes and e-scooters across North America, Europe, and select Asia-Pacific markets — comparable as a global-scale bike-share operator, though broader in modality and geography than Charichari's Japan-only focus.
- Bolt: European mobility super-app operating shared e-scooters and e-bikes across multiple countries (acquired Tier Mobility in 2024) — comparable as a tech-enabled shared micromobility operator with a broader mobility platform ambition.
- JCDecaux: Global outdoor advertising company that operates public bike-sharing systems worldwide (Cyclocity, Capital Bike Share, JCDecaux Bike Share) — comparable as a large-scale, multi-city bike-share operator but embedded within a broader advertising and street-furniture portfolio.
- Lyft: Operated Citi Bike (NYC) and Bay Wheels (SF) bike-share systems in North America — comparable as a multi-modal mobility platform with shared bike operations, though broader in scope with ride-hail as the core business.
Direct peers
- Docomo Bike Share: Japan's largest bike-sharing operator, run by NTT Docomo with 10,000+ bicycles across 200+ service areas — directly competes with Charichari in Tokyo, Nagoya, and other shared geographies with similar port-based, app-unlocked bike model.
- HELLO CYCLING (OpenStreet): Major Japanese bike-sharing platform operated by OpenStreet that aggregates bicycles from multiple municipal and private operators — competes directly with Charichari for riders and municipal partnerships in overlapping Japanese cities.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat5 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights7 records
Customer concentration
Charichari social profiles
Digital presenceCharichari compliance and trust
Trust signalCompliance1 record
Charichari financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Charichari leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles5 records
Charichari subsidiaries and ownership
Company hierarchySubsidiaries1 record
Charichari funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Charichari M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about Charichari
What does Charichari do?
Charichari operates a smartphone app-based bike-sharing service using dedicated red bicycles equipped with IoT-enabled smart locks. Users locate, unlock, and pay per minute via the app, with both standard city cycles and electric assist bicycles available at high-density port locations. The service provides flexible short-distance urban transportation and last-mile connectivity across Fukuoka, Nagoya, Tokyo, Kumamoto, and Kyoto/Otsu in Japan.
Is Charichari a public or private company?
Charichari is a private company. It is classified as corporate owned and is currently operating.
When was Charichari founded?
Charichari was founded in 2019. It employs 11 to 50 people.
Where is Charichari based?
Charichari is headquartered in Fukuoka-shi, Japan, in the Asia region.
How does Charichari make money?
One revenue line is on record: per-minute bike sharing fees.
Who are Charichari's main competitors?
Broad incumbents on record are Uber, Voi, Lime, Bolt, JCDecaux and Lyft. Direct peers are Docomo Bike Share and HELLO CYCLING (OpenStreet).
Does Charichari have an API?
No public API is recorded for Charichari.
What industry is Charichari in?
Charichari's product category is Bike Sharing Services. Its primary akta.pro industry code is TLAFAMAE, Bikeshare (Station-Based/Docked), with a secondary code of CRACASAA, E-Bikes & Electric Bicycles. Its NAICS code is 48531 and its SIC code is 4700.