Nextbike

Nextbike is a bike rental system.

Business

The company of the same name was founded in Leipzig by Ralf Kalupner 2004. Here the center has around 40 employees in office and workshop their headquarters to the more than 30 locations in Germany as handling regional service partners fleets. In addition nextbike is also active in Austria, Switzerland, Latvia, Poland and New Zealand. In May 2013 Next Bike starts in towns of Dobrich in Bulgaria and the Croatian capital Zagreb. Next Bike offers a bike sharing system, which is available around the clock. The private companies financed on the one about the rental fees and other directly about advertising on the bicycle frame. Since late 2008, the Wall AG holds a 25.1 percent stake nextbike.

Projects

The following three projects were funded by the Federal Ministry of Transport.

Operation

The one-time registration takes place by telephone or over the Internet. Borrowing and returning is possible by mobile phone, rental terminal or the Internet. In more recent projects, such as Noris bike in Nuremberg rental and registration at fixed rental stations even without a phone are possible. These stations are equipped with terminals for hire. The current locations of the wheels can be found on the website or obtained information about the rental Hotline. In return within half an hour and for each additional half hour lending costs one euro - from the 5th hour of the day begins Loan for a price of nine euros. The rental bikes are suitable for one-way trips, as the rental bike can be borrowed at a station and transferred to another station again. In all cities, there are pre-defined stations that are organized differently depending on the city. In Dusseldorf, there are clearly defined, stations marked by signs.

After the call, the user is notified of the code used for the combination lock of the desired wheel. The bike can be shut off during use with this code and allows a high flexibility of rental bicycles. When returning must call and drop off again be notified to the hotline. The return is just like the Loan on the Internet or via terminals rental possible. After returning nextbike Leaders Check the condition and position of the wheel.

The wheels are either free or as, for example, placed in specially made storage sidings / stations with information stele and cycle stands in Tübingen. Noris bike in Nuremberg even has rental terminals with communication unit to which borrowed with customer card with a display and the wheels can be submitted again. The users include commuters and tourists, but also locals who use the "public bicycle " regularly in their everyday way chain.

The wheels with the frame shape of a Beach Cruisers are equipped with a three- or seven-speed hub gear and a luggage rack which is fixedly connected to the frame as a post cycle and thus also at higher loads allows for easy steering. nextbike offers since 2009 to a second Radtypus the Cruiser Comfort with low step. Both models are designed frame made ​​of light alloy and nextbike. The wheels are mounted in Leipzig.

Nextbike has grown rapidly in recent years. Since the summer of 2008, the company gives 400 wheels in cooperation with the city of Dusseldorf. In Leipzig can be found in co-operation with the Leipzig transport services 500 bikes in public places and especially public transport stops.

The latest project is Noris bike in Nuremberg with 750 wheels on 66 stations with rental terminal. Moreover nextbike is ( metroradruhr before the warning by a trading group ) with the metropolradruhr - together with ten independent cities in the Ruhr area - one of the winners of the tendered by the Federal Ministry of Transport competition Innovative bike sharing. 3000 bikes should connect in the metropolitan area by 2012, ten cities. In Switzerland nextbike cooperates with Rent A Bike in August 2009. In this project until 2011 3000 Leihvelos be offered nationwide.

Nextbike offers various targeted offers and can thus be initiated by cities and franchise partners. In addition, provides nextbike his bikes as employees wheels for group trips and available for events.

In Hamburg 2012 bikes nextbike were equipped with electronically controlled dynamo in September. These enable a USB port on the bike charging a mobile phone or MP3 player while driving.

Nextbike in Austria

In Burgenland around Lake Neusiedl, the bicycle rental system nextbike has been implemented since 2007 and steadily expanded. Since 2010, the Office of the Lower Austrian government is keen to build a nationwide network of rental stations in Lower Austria. The operator of the system is the Energy and Environment Agency of Lower Austria. The special feature of nextbike in Austria is that a bike sharing system is rural Europe on and performed for the first time.