The Rekola Story

We head to the streets with “recycled” bikes from people

In the beginning, we restored old donated bikes, and that’s where the name Rekola came from. During weekend workshops, we serviced them together, painted them pink, gave each bike a name, and gradually placed them in the streets. In 2014, the project expanded to Brno and Olomouc; the following year we launched operations also in České Budějovice.

Since 2015, we have been gradually professionalizing – the bikes went through regular checks by our service team, and in Prague they started to have standardized parts. Our first base was in Radlická kulturní sportovně. We improved the iOS and Android app and introduced the option to rent bikes via SMS. We closed the year with 28,000 rentals.

Helping cities with operational data

We shared anonymized usage data with city leadership and city districts—where our bikes ride. These data were used, for example, by Prague’s IPR, Brno’s BKom, and the Olomouc city authorities, so that cycling could be easier in the cities and infrastructure could be built where it was needed most. We also provided bike racks that we installed in locations where there were no dedicated parking spots yet, but where people like to park—such as at Prague Zoo, Cross Club, Loděnice Trója, and more. Another city turned pink too: Teplice in North Bohemia. Together, in 2016, we had over 95,000 rentals.

New partnerships and new cities

In September 2017, we managed to sign a partnership with Hello bank! and with MultiSport, making bike rentals more accessible. We also started working with Airbnb, where tourists can choose an guided ride through Prague on rekolas with our colleague.

We wanted to spread bikesharing to other CZ cities, as outside our operations no city in CZ have bikesharing. Thus we started so-called “pilot operations”, where a city could try out how bike sharing would work there. The first pilot city was Kladno, where, after a successful pilot, the council decided to run bike sharing themselves. The same model was used the next year by Liberec, Ostrava, and Frýdek-Místek.

Building more collaborations and renting new means of transport

We began collaborating with Mastercard, which gave users the chance to invite someone for a second ride, and with the startup Mutumutu, which allowed us to roll into Prague bikes with gear shifting.

In Prague, after the success of Resleds, we launched in the parks Reskates and at the Dejvice campus Rekoloběžky (rescooters).

Besides the mobile app and the web, we tried a new way of renting bikes— FB messenger chatbot. In cooperation with Jihočeská Galerie, a few bikes with artworks started riding around Českě Budějovice. In Prague, together with Czech artists, artbikes started rolling—artistic bikes, one of which was also created by our service team in the Prague workshop. The goal is to bring art to the streets and liven up public space.

We recorded a huge increase in users—year over year, their number grew 4x, and the number of rentals reached 761,731.

500,000 km for summer. On the road and on the water

Over the summer, we teamed up with Red Bull and challenged all cyclists to cover 500,000 km in two months. We pulled it off, and thanks to that Red Bull helped us build 60 sport bikes. And the two best cyclists flew out to America.

In total, we had six different modes of transport. Along with standard rekolas and sport bikes, we launched skateboards and kick scooters in the cities, and also, for the first time, paddleboards and e-bikes. They were created in cooperation with innogy.

A quarter of a million people in eleven cities

During the 2019 season, we appeared in eleven Czech cities and one Finnish city. We had over two thousand bikes in operation, which were used by over 250 thousand registered users. In summer—when you ride most—we recorded over 4,500 rentals per day. In winter, the bikes stayed in České Budějovice and Mladá Boleslav.

We also expanded into the corporate sphere and offered companies like KPMG and CDN77 our shared e-bikes for their teams only.

Helping during the pandemic

True—we imagined this year a little differently. Just like everyone else. Right in March, at the beginning of the pandemic, we reacted and offered free rides for everyone thanks to our cooperation with Rohlík and Průša Research. That way, anyone interested could use safe and sustainable transportation. Long-term, we offered free rides for healthcare workers and volunteers who were helping.

On top of that, we tested a new type of digital lock. During installation, we ran an extensive educational campaign so that the bikes would not obstruct the public space any further.

Switching to a new parking system

Cities are supporting cycling transportation more and more, and that makes us incredibly happy! After a successful pilot project in Prague, bike sharing and public transport was tested in Brno as well. The growing number of bikes in Prague streets brought the need for a new parking system that is more considerate of public space. That’s why we started testing parking at designated spots and rolling it out gradually to all city districts. New racks have appeared, and for better orientation in České Budějovice and Bratislava, our bikes received new phone holders.

Summer belonged to urban planning, architecture, and cooperation with CAMP Praha, which attracted visitors with archiKolo (architectureBike) in a special design. In autumn, we adjusted cycle lanes inspired by well-known films and launched a film contest—or rides for municipal elections, for example.

Expanding!

This time, we headed beyond our home— to Estonia! Rekola is now zipping through the streets of Tallinn and we’re learning how to work in a different environment.

We’re not afraid of local challenges either. That’s why we brought bike sharing to Žďár nad Sázavou and added e-bikes to the mix. No more grinding up hills—just pure joy of riding.

All year long, we connected Rekola with young artists and artist-women. Their poems and paintings, but also their music, are displayed on the bike baskets, and we bring talented people to the attention of the whole of Prague.