What Donkey Republic actually does
Donkey Republic is a Danish self-service bike (and in some cities, e-scooter) rental company headquartered in Copenhagen, operating a claimed network of more than 190 cities worldwide, with a strong concentration in Europe. Rather than owning one visible consumer brand in every city, Donkey Republic frequently operates the technology and fleet behind locally branded municipal or university bike-share schemes, so the same underlying app and account can work across many differently named local programs.
The company listed on Nasdaq First North Growth Market Denmark in 2021, making it a publicly traded company with disclosed shareholders and financial reporting — unusual transparency for a bike-share operator, most of which remain privately held or municipally run.
The core product
Users unlock a bike through the app, ride, and pay under one of three models:
- Pay-as-you-go pricing that starts in 15-minute increments and gets cheaper the longer the ride continues
- Day passes offering unlimited riding within a chosen window (a day, weekend, or week)
- Monthly memberships that trade a fixed fee for included daily ride minutes — a "Daily Rider" tier offering roughly two hours a day, a "Commuter" tier offering roughly twelve hours a day — or a discounted per-minute rate on a lower-cost "Pay as You Go" membership tier
There's no unlocking fee under the pay-as-you-go model.
What's new or notable
Since its 2021 listing, Donkey Republic has continued raising capital through the public markets, including subsequent private placements disclosed via Nasdaq's Danish exchange filings, funding continued network expansion. The company also offers a student discount of up to 25% off membership pricing, aimed at converting price-sensitive, high-frequency student riders into recurring members rather than one-off pay-as-you-go users.
Who should use Donkey Republic
Great fit if…
- You travel between multiple cities that happen to use Donkey Republic's technology — one account and app can work across a wide network rather than needing a new app per city.
- You ride occasionally but want the option to commit — pay-as-you-go with no unlock fee suits occasional trips, while memberships reward daily commuters.
- You're a student — the up-to-25% membership discount is a genuine, disclosed price break rather than a vague promotional claim.
Skip it if…
- You want to compare prices across cities before travelling — rates aren't published on one universal page; you need to check the app or local pricing tool for your destination.
- You don't want a recurring charge — a membership auto-renews monthly and needs active cancellation, unlike a one-off pay-as-you-go ride.
Pricing in detail
Donkey Republic's own pricing content is explicit that rates vary by city, so any specific figure is a documented example, not a universal price. In Copenhagen, pay-as-you-go pricing is structured in 15-minute increments that get cheaper with duration, while a 24-hour day pass costs around 99 kr per bike — about half of what an equivalent pay-as-you-go session would cost. Copenhagen's lowest-cost membership tier ("Pay as You Go" membership) starts from around 25 kr/month for a reduced monthly fee combined with lower per-minute rates, while "Daily Rider" and "Commuter" memberships bundle a set number of free daily minutes (roughly 2 hours and 12 hours respectively) into a fixed monthly cost. Students get up to 25% off membership pricing. Because the company itself directs users to check the app for their specific city's rates, treat all figures here as an observed example from Copenhagen in September 2026 rather than a network-wide price.
| Plan | Price | What's included |
|---|---|---|
| Just Ride (pay-as-you-go) | Priced in 15-min increments, cheaper the longer you ride (city-dependent; no unlock fee) | On-demand bike unlock, no membership required |
| Day Pass | ~99 kr/24 hours (observed, Copenhagen, Sept 2026) | Unlimited riding within the chosen day/weekend/week window |
| Monthly membership | From ~25 kr/month (observed, Copenhagen, "Pay as You Go" tier) | Reduced per-minute rate, or fixed daily included minutes on Daily Rider/Commuter tiers; up to 25% off for students |
Where it falls short
- No single published rate card — pricing is genuinely city-specific, so comparing costs before choosing a destination requires checking the app for each location individually.
- Membership auto-renewal — unlike pay-as-you-go, a monthly plan keeps billing until actively cancelled, which is easy to forget after a trip ends.
Privacy & data
Donkey Republic is a Danish company subject to the EU GDPR. As a publicly listed company on Nasdaq First North, it also publishes annual reports and financial disclosures beyond what most bike-share operators share.
The app collects ride-location (GPS) data to unlock and track bike rentals and payment data for billing, governed by its published privacy policy.
How we checked this
Pricing structure and Copenhagen example rates verified against Donkey Republic's own blog post "How much does it cost to rent a Donkey Republic bike?" (donkey.bike) on 2026-09-05. Nasdaq First North listing confirmed via Donkey Republic's own investor-news announcements (news.cision.com/donkey-republic) on the same date.