Commuting Alternatives – Prague

Sometimes you want to leave car rentals or overcrowded public transport behind and look for something new. Well, you’re in luck because, in recent years, many European cities have been expanding and actively inviting electric scooters and bike-sharing companies that would diversify the commuting options. And Prague has been no different in that regard.

Electric scooters have seen a bit of a boom in Europe in the last couple of years, especially those shared through an app. Companies like Uber and Lime have populated the streets of Prague with over 1500 scooters, a somewhat reduced number after the pandemic, and they enjoy a rise in popularity and use. So how can you enjoy electric scooter sharing?

It’s simple – download the appropriate app of the company (since 2019, Uber and Lime have joined forces on this, and they share one app) and find the nearest scooter. After that, you need to pay to unlock the scooter (for lime, that’s around €1) and then you can use it. Once you’re done, you lock it through the app again, and the final bill for your journey will be the unlocking fee plus 16 cents per minute, totalling almost €10 per hour.

It’s straightforward. However, there have been some restrictions in Prague starting in 2020. For example, electric scooters can no longer be driven into the historical centre, but this may change. It’s also worth noting that some companies like BeRider, Blinkee, and Re.volt are offering e-scooters of the motorcycle kind through the same “sharing” system. These are faster, though they have to stick to roads and are subject to customary road laws.

Bike-sharing in Prague is a little bit different from e-scooters. Firstly, there are companies like Rekola and Nextbike, which offer regular bikes through their apps. But there are also companies like Bolt and Lime that offer e-bikes alongside their electric scooters.

E-bikes are rented just about the same way as the scooters above, so instead, let’s look at the renting of standard bikes. Rekola is specific here since their lowest possible rate is €1 per half an hour. It works is similar to e-scooters; you download an app and scan a code of a bike that unlocks it.

But when you’re done with these pink bikes, you need to find a place to park them. These will be marked in the app as pink areas on a map. Rekola also provides an excellent monthly plan which costs only €8 and lets you use their bikes without further fees.