Skip to main content

European bike sharing market fuelled by innovations and government support

New research by Frost & Sullivan, European Bike Sharing Market, Forecast to 2025, indicates that the bike sharing fleet will more than double in size from 151,302 units in 2016 to 341,250 units in 2025. Southern and Western Europe have high public bike sharing service (BSS) activity. About 196 cities in Southern Europe have more than 35,000 rental bikes; in Western Europe, 150 cities have nearly 70,000 rental bikes. Spain and France are the strongest markets, but the UK, Germany and Italy are expanding quic
February 7, 2017 Read time: 2 mins
New research by 2097 Frost & Sullivan, European Bike Sharing Market, Forecast to 2025, indicates that the bike sharing fleet will more than double in size from 151,302 units in 2016 to 341,250 units in 2025. Southern and Western Europe have high public bike sharing service (BSS) activity. About 196 cities in Southern Europe have more than 35,000 rental bikes; in Western Europe, 150 cities have nearly 70,000 rental bikes. Spain and France are the strongest markets, but the UK, Germany and Italy are expanding quickly.

As densely populated urban centres all over the world grapple with issues of rising fuel consumption and carbon emissions, green mobility solutions such as public bike sharing service (BSS) are rising to prominence. This shift away from personal cars towards sustainable mobility solutions is bolstered by the high parking fees, volatile fuel costs and growing congestion in busy urban areas.

Although BSS enjoys escalating demand, high insurance costs could prove a deterrent to its wide-scale adoption. Furthermore, safety guidelines of bike sharing programmes are often not aligned with those mandated by insurance schemes, necessitating deeper analysis and resolution of the insurance issue.

“Urban commuters are considering multiple mobility options to optimise travel time and convenience for short distance travel of less than five kilometres,” said Frost & Sullivan mobility research analyst Debanjali Sen. “Consumer interest has prompted several BSS operators to explore integration of bike sharing with public transit and other modes of shared transport such as car sharing/ride sharing on a unified digital platform for ease of payment and bookings.”

For more information on companies in this article

Related Content

  • New ITS America report examines the shared-use mobility sector
    September 29, 2015
    A new report by the Intelligent Transportation Society of America (ITS America), in conjunction with AT&T, investigates how evolving mobile technology and changing demands of the traveling public are shaping the future of transportation in a more connected world. This report, entitled Rise of the Real-Time Traveler, examines the public’s changing demographics and purchasing behaviors while focusing on shared-use mobility in an increasingly connected world. Utilizing a broad array of research, this report
  • White paper examines ITS application across four major cities
    December 19, 2017
    Frost & Sullivan and Isbak have released a white paper examining how intelligent transportation systems (ITS) used in Singapore, London, New York and Istanbul are being used on existing roadways to reduce congestion and emissions efficiently. The paper provides an in-depth analysis of transportation policies, implementation methods, best practices and challenges for key cities and how commuters, city management councils and the environment could benefit from ITS implementation.
  • Trains and no planes or automobiles
    August 3, 2021
    Moves are afoot in France and Germany for legislation to prioritise rail over air travel. Iomob’s Boyd Cohen suggests that Mobility as a Service can help to support this shift
  • Norway continues to lead global electric vehicle market
    September 23, 2016
    Norway continues to lead the global market for electric vehicles, according to the most recent plug-in electric vehicle (PEV) index from IHS Automotive, part of business information provider IHS Markit. Plug-in electric vehicles are defined as either a pure Battery Electric Vehicle (BEV) or a Plug-In Hybrid Vehicle (PHEV). Based on analysis of new vehicle registrations during the first quarter 2016, one out of every three vehicles registered in Norway during the quarter was a plug-in electric vehicle, r