Media Information, 1 July 2026
Düsselbike: Innovative bicycle rental system launches
Bike tour with 120 rental bikes to kick things off. The bikes can now be rented easily and at affordable rates.
They're white, conveniently bookable via app, and now expanding the mobility options in Düsseldorf: The first 500 Düsselbikes of the state capital's new bike-sharing system are now rolling through the city. The white rental bikes – 8 gears, 12-liter front basket, phone holder, 26-inch wheels – from the provider Donkey Republic are sponsored by ERGO Group and can be conveniently rented via app at affordable rates.
Mayor Dr. Stephan Keller, Dr. Sebastian Rapsch, Member of the board of Management of ERGO Deutschland AG, Signe Storgaard Sørensen, COO of Donkey Republic, and CMD Managing Director Rolf Neumann participated in the official launch of the new Düsselbike bicycle rental system on Wednesday, July 1, 2026. Together with many employees of the project partners and students from the Humboldt Gymnasium Düsseldorf, around 120 Düsselbikes were symbolically launched with a bicycle tour from the ERGO Tower in Pempelfort to the market square.
The starting signal has been given for our new, innovative urban bike-sharing system. It is a further enrichment of the mobility mix in the state capital. Soon, 2,500 brand-new Düsselbikes will ensure that it is even easier and more comfortable to be mobile by bicycle in Düsseldorf. Try it out.
Starting Wednesday, July 1, 2026, 500 rental bikes will initially be available in the inner-city districts one through four, which comprise the neighborhoods of Altstadt, Carlstadt, Stadtmitte, Pempelfort, Derendorf, Golzheim, Flingern-Nord, Flingern-Süd, Düsseltal, Oberbilk, Unterbilk, Bilk, Friedrichstadt, Hafen, Hamm, Flehe, Volmerswerth, Oberkassel, Heerdt, Lörick, and Niederkassel. An additional 1,000 bikes will follow in all other districts on August 1 and September 1, so that full operation will begin in September with 2,500 Düsselbikes, ensuring improved connections to the outer districts. Düsselbikes can be rented and returned at both sharing stations and dedicated Düsselbike stations. In total, this will be possible at approximately 400 stations throughout the city.
The insurance company ERGO, headquartered in Düsseldorf, is the main sponsor of the bicycle rental system and the first company with its own Düsselbike station in front of its headquarters:
The Düsselbike initiative makes an important contribution to modern, environmentally friendly mobility here locally. It is an innovative and attractive offering for everyone who lives, works, or visits Düsseldorf. This also includes our more than 4,500 employees at our headquarters. I wish Düsselbike every success.
Digital Twin for System Control
The city's subsidiary, Connected Mobility Düsseldorf (CMD), is responsible for controlling and managing the bicycle rental system. It works closely with Donkey Republic, the Danish company that successfully won a Europe-wide tender process to become the operating partner.
We are delighted to now be represented in Düsseldorf with our bicycles and to be able to contribute our experience in bike sharing. As the state capital, Düsseldorf is an important market for us. With Düsselbikes, we can promote and transform sustainable mobility in the city.
The bike-sharing system in Düsseldorf will be particularly innovative, as Rolf Neumann, Commercial Director of CMD, explained:
Together with Donkey Republic, we are developing a digital twin for the system's operation. This digital twin will allow the system to continuously learn and optimize itself through data-driven location tracking and AI-supported rebalancing methods.
This will ensure high availability of rental bikes in high-demand locations while also enabling faster identification and more efficient implementation of maintenance needs. To guarantee the proper and secure parking of the Düsselbikes at the designated sharing and Düsselbike stations, parking will only be permitted within these stations. If users do not park their rental bikes within a designated station, the rental process will continue.
Tariffs and Usage:
Düsselbikes can be rented around the clock. They can be booked via the Donkey Republic app and, in the future, via Rheinbahn's multimodal mobility app, Redy. Users can choose from various tariffs, starting at one euro for a single 15-minute ride. More economical options include a 3-day pass for 5 euros, a monthly subscription for 10 euros, or an annual subscription for 60 euros – each of which includes 30 free minutes per ride.
The 2,500 Düsselbikes each feature a personal first name or nickname on the basket. These names were submitted by Düsseldorf residents at the beginning of the year, showcasing a wide range of creative ideas. Further information about the Düsselbike bicycle rental system is available at: www.duesselbike.nrw
Photos from the event can be found at the following link: https://duesseldorf.canto.de/b/J1RJM.
A video on this topic will be published on YouTube later today at: www.youtube.com/stadtduesseldorf.
The images available for download on this page may be used free of charge and without a licence for reporting on the companies and brands of the ERGO Group AG. The condition is that the copyright must be credited as „Landeshauptstadt Düsseldorf / David Young“ and the source must be cited as „Source: ERGO Group“.
Further information
This media information contains forward-looking statements that are based on current assumptions and forecasts of the management of ERGO Group. Known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors could lead to material differences between the forward-looking statements given here and the actual development, in particular the results, financial situation and performance of our Company. The Company assumes no liability to update these forward-looking statements or to conform them to future events or developments.