Rekola launches shared electric bikes in Prague. They return after six years

The new service aims to make it easier for a wider range of users to move around the city, offer a more affordable alternative to commercial services, and improve the accessibility of micromobility in the hilly parts of the city.

At first, the company is bringing 50 electric bikes to Prague, with a speed of up to 25 km/h. Gradually, the number is expected to increase to several hundred. There are also approximately a thousand classic Rekola bikes in Prague. The e-Rekola have their signature apricot color because they are second-hand bikes from another bike-sharing operator.

Price comparison

Here’s the price comparison with competing services:

Rekola: unlocking 10 CZK, then 5 CZK / minute
Lime: unlocking 15 CZK, then 5.9 CZK / minute
Bolt: unlocking 7 CZK, then 7 CZK / minute
A 10-minute ride on e-Rekola costs 60 CZK, on Lime it costs 74 CZK, and on Bolt it costs 77 CZK.

Rekola also offers a weekly package of 60 minutes for 140 CZK with free unlocking: so, each minute of riding would cost an average of 2.3 CZK, and 10 minutes would cost 23 CZK.

Not the first appearance of pink electric bikes in Prague

This is not Rekola’s first experience with electric bikes. In 2019, the company briefly operated a fleet of 70 electric bikes in Prague, supported by investor Inogy and entrepreneur Ondřej Fritz at the time. The bikes, with 250 W motors and a maximum speed of 25 km/h, were primarily placed in Letná and Holešovice. At that time, the cost was 15 CZK to unlock and 2 CZK per minute of use. However, the service ended after less than a year due to operational complications.

With the return of electric bikes to Prague’s streets, Rekola is introducing newer technology. The company has also gained experience operating electric bikes in smaller towns – since 2024, Rekola’s electric bikes have been available in Prostějov and Žďár nad Sázavou.

An alternative to "tourist" services

The electric Rekola bikes in Prague are now joining the Lime and Bolt shared electric bikes, whose services may be less affordable and focus primarily on the historic center. Rekola’s new service aims to offer a more affordable alternative to regular users and residents of the wider city center.

The introduction of electric bikes is expected to make shared bikes more readily available even in the hilly parts of the city, such as Vinohrady, Letná, Dejvice, and Pankrác, where classic bikes are often no longer seen because they are mainly used for downhill rides.

Electric bikes in the regions

In addition to Rekola, their competitor Nextbike also operates electric bikes in Czech cities. They offer electric models in Beroun, Mladá Boleslav, Hradec Králové, Třebíč, Zlín, and Trutnov. Electric bikes are becoming part of bike-sharing services in smaller towns thanks to the demand from local councils – many of which request the introduction of electric bikes in their tender procedures. In Beroun, on the other hand, shared electric bikes are supported by the Tipsport Foundation.