Eleven Shared Bikes in PID Colors in Prague, promoting the Integration of Public Transit and Bikesharing

In total, the fleet consists of ten Nextbike bicycles and one Rekolo. This is neither a brand-new bikesharing system nor a pilot project. Instead, the bikes are primarily intended to raise awareness about the option to combine bikesharing with a PID Lítačka transit pass, which includes discounted rentals—specifically, two 15-minute rides per day for free.

„Our goal is to promote and raise awareness about using shared bikes in combination with a public transport season ticket. Initial feedback shows that some users who were previously unaware of the option to combine PID Lítačka with shared bikes started looking into it themselves, precisely because of the PID-branded look of the bicycles,“ Filip Drápal, Head of Marketing and Press Spokesperson for ROPID, told Městem na kole.

According to ROPID, another objective is to spark a debate regarding the future branding of shared bikes in Prague. The current visual design is also intended to allow the promotion of bikesharing without giving an unfair advantage to any single operator.

The future of the PID-branded bikes will depend on a new tender for bikesharing services currently being prepared by the City of Prague. Moving forward, the organization would like to increase the number of [PID-colored] wrapped bikes, subject to agreements with the operators.

PID-supported shared bikes: Around for nearly 5 years

Shared bikes have been part of the PID system since October 2021, when the initiative was introduced by then-Mayor Zdeněk Hřib (Pirates) and then-Deputy Mayor for Transport Adam Scheinherr (Praha sobě). Holders of long-term Lítačka passes can take advantage of discounted rentals with participating operators Nextbike and Rekola, making it easier to reach public transport stops and navigate shorter distances around the city.