The bike fleet
Each Donkey Republic operator manages their own bike fleet through the Donkey Republic system
A bike enters our system and becomes rentable once it has a Donkey lock assigned to it, as well as a hub, i.e. a geo-location registered with coordinates in our system.
Most of our large operators opt for custom-made Donkey bikes, which we design and produce with some of the largest bicycle manufacturers in Europe.
The Donkey bike is a comfortable, light, Dutch-style city bike, fitting riders 150cm to 200cm tall. The tyres, chains, handlebars, and brakes are chosen to be long-lasting and durable on heavy usage, and the bike meets the ISO 4210 standard for safety and performance requirements. The design and features are updated yearly based on usage stats.
Price for a Donkey bike: €400 excl. VAT*
*including Donkey lock with extra chain, lights, anti-puncture tires
Under certain circumstances, operators enter their own bikes into the Donkey Republic system by attaching Donkey locks to them, but in that case the bikes need to meet similar quality standards and use the Donkey Republic signage provided in the Donkey kit.
The Donkey lock is developed with AXA Security: an electronic ring lock using their award-winning hardware and our software, which makes it controllable through our mobile apps (for riders or owners), via a low energy Bluetooth connection. Each lock you buy has a 2-year warranty. Its battery has an average lifetime of more than one year. Batteries can easily be replaced with a special screwdriver in under a minute.
Normal price for a Donkey lock: €100 excl. VAT
The donkey lock is the key to creating an easy to implement, 24/7, self-service bike share system. Thanks to it, riders can use a mobile app to find a bike available nearby, rent it and unlock it, while the owner can monitor and manage their fleet and business from their computer.
The Donkey kit
The Donkey kit can make a bike rentable anytime, anywhere. It contains a Donkey lock and the signage needed to make the bike recognizable as a Donkey bike: an info panel for the handlebars, two side panels for the back wheel, and other branded stickers and marketing materials.
Optional accessories in the kit
Plug-in Chain
The Donkey lock can be ordered with an integrated chain that provides riders, as well as the bike owner, with additional security against theft.
Quick-release saddle adjustment
If owners use bikes that don’t have it by default, a quick-release saddle adjustment is needed to enable riders to adjust the seat to their height.
Magnetic bike lights
To comply with traffic laws regarding the visibility of cyclists, all bikes must be equipped with approved lights. We recommend magnetic lights that automatically turn on when pedaling.
All Donkey bikes bought through our purchase program arrive already branded and equipped with the Donkey lock, the panels on handlebars and back wheel, lights and saddle adjustment.
The bike owner can customise the contents of the Donkey kit based on their context. Similarly, the design and copy of the signage on the bike and marketing materials can be customised (e.g. local language, different marketing messages).
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