Hradec Králové paints shared bikes in its own design, adds E-bikes

The company Nextbike Czech Republic has been operating shared bikes in Hradec Králové since 2020, after winning a tender. Initially, 100 bikes were distributed throughout the city, and this number was increased to 250 in 2024.

Since March of this year, the city, with a population of nearly 100,000, has a new visual identity, which emerged from a public design competition and was created by the studio superlative.works. Hradec Králové now decided to apply this new identity to its shared city bikes. The formerly gray-blue bikes will now have a red frame, a yellow front basket, and a black wheel guard. The new city logo, which doubles as a safety feature due to its reflective coating, is placed on the wheel guard.

Hradec Králové will be the first of more than 40 cities in the Czech Republic with bikesharing services to use its own custom paint scheme for bikes. Another city, Most, also uses its own identity on shared bikes, but not comprehensively.

In addition to updating the bike fleet, from the end of August a new feature will be the inclusion of e-bikes in the shared bike offering. „The city supports the operation of shared bikes with an amount of approximately 300,000 CZK per month, with the final amount depending on the number of rentals. Thanks to this, people can ride the first fifteen minutes for free. Furthermore, we have expanded the offer in agreement with the operator, and by the end of August, city cyclists will be able to use e-bikes in addition to mechanical bikes. However, the e-bikes will not yet be in the city’s colors,“ added Deputy Mayor Lukáš Řádek (TOP 09).