As more urban areas worldwide seek to improve their residents’ quality of life, cycling is becoming a more popular way to get around. Getting around by bike has plenty of benefits. It’s good for the environment, and you can enjoy a fantastic workout while exploring some of the world’s most beautiful cities.
Whether you’re visiting somewhere new or want a more affordable form of transportation for your local area, you will find plenty of apps. You will find them handy if you’re only going to be somewhere for a short period, and they’re also useful for allowing you to save up for a bike of your own.
Let’s jump in and look at some of the best city bike rental apps for iOS.
If you’ve been to a European city, you might have seen Donkey Republic. Their bikes are bright orange and difficult to miss. The company is Danish and was founded in 2012, but it has since expanded to plenty of other parts of the continent.
Donkey Republic’s bikes are available throughout Copenhagen, Denmark’s capital city. You will also find them in Aarhus, which is the country’s second-largest city. Further afield, you can rent Donkey Republic bikes in Amsterdam, Budapest, Berlin, and Antwerp – plus various other places.
To rent a Donkey Republic bike, you’ll need to find the bicycle’s name in the app. Select it, press Unlock, and start riding. You can drop it off at any of the designated spots in your city.
Donkey Republic’s pricing varies. You can pay per ride, but monthly memberships are also available.
If you’ve lived in London for any period of time, you might be familiar with the Boris Bikes. Since they were introduced, bike-sharing has become more popular in the city. And while the British capital isn’t anywhere near as bicycle-friendly as Copenhagen or Amsterdam, things have improved.
Santander Cycles has around 10 million riders each year, and it’s great for exploring London’s vast green spaces. The concept works similarly to Donkey Republic; select the bike you want to rent, unlock it, and start riding.
You can see drop-off stations within the app, and – if you’re a frequent rider – you’ll have the chance to enter prize draws and more. How much you pay will depend on the journeys you take.
Swapfiets means “swap bicycles” when translated from Dutch to English. Unlike the two apps we’ve already mentioned, Swapfiets bikes are better for long-term rentals – for example, if you’re going to study somewhere for three months or so.
When you get a Swapfiets bike, you will typically pick it up from one of the stores in your city of choice. However, anyone that’s owned a bicycle will tell you that all kinds of things can go wrong – and knowing how to deal with those issues is a wise idea. In the Swapfiets app, you can find stores and arrange for your bike to be fixed if the worst happens.
Swapfiets predominantly operates in the Netherlands. However, it’s also available in Copenhagen, Brussels, Lyon, and Munich – plus several other European cities. You’ll pay a monthly membership when you use the service, and you can see your invoices in the app.
So far in this article, we’ve largely covered European cities. So, let’s look at some city bike apps available in North America. First, let’s begin with Montreal in Canada.
BIXI is the main bicycle renting service for Montreal, and you will find drop-off stations throughout the city. You can buy seasonal passes, along with monthly memberships and one-way passes.
As you might have guessed, Montreal isn’t the easiest place to cycle during those bitterly cold winters. Therefore, you can only use the app during the warmer months of the year.
Sticking in North America for a moment, we’re going to head a little further south. New York City might seem daunting to cycle around, but you will find some quiet spots where it’s an excellent way to explore the Big Apple’s hidden gems.
When cycling around New York City, you can use the Citi Bike app – which is the city’s equivalent of London’s Boris Bikes. You will find these stations dotted throughout the city, and the app shows you how much you’ll need to pay based on your ride time.
You can drop off your bike at any of the designated spaces located throughout NYC, and you can gain an overview of these through the app.
Oslo is the capital city of Norway and a great place to explore, even if it’s not as pretty as some of the other Scandinavian capitals. During the summer, hiring a bike is an excellent way to get around the city and enjoy the 18+ hours of daylight. It’s also an affordable way to get around a notoriously expensive city.
Bysykkel, also known as Oslo City Bike, is the city’s official bike-sharing app. The app is available in Norwegian and English, and you can find your bicycle rental options within the app.
One of the best features is that you can directly send messages if something goes wrong with your bike. You can unlock and return bicycles through the app, and you can also buy passes if you want to use the service for longer.
You might already know of Lime for their electronic scooters. Some people find them a great way to get around; others think that they’re a nuisance. In recent years, Lime has also rolled out e-bike options in many cities.
These electronic bikes are often more expensive to ride than the standard version, but they’re also quite fun. Plus, you can get around quicker if you don’t want to exert too much energy.
Lime’s e-bikes are available in London, Washington DC, Atlanta, and several other cities. You can unlock and return bicycles through the Lime app, which is also where you’ll add your payment method.
You will find plenty of city bike apps for iOS, and there are several that we did not mention. Cycling is a great way to explore new places if the infrastructure allows, and as more people think about sustainability, you can expect this form of transportation to become more popular.
When using these city bikes, you’ll need to remember that some cities require you to wear a helmet. Keep this in mind, as you will often need to rent or purchase those on your own.
Danny has been a professional writer since graduating from university in 2016, but he’s been writing online for over a decade. He has been intrigued by Apple products ever since getting an iPod Shuffle in 2008 and particularly enjoys writing about iPhones and iPads. Danny prides himself on making complex topics easy to understand. In his spare time, he’s a keen photographer.
Write a Comment