Founded in Copenhagen in 2014, Donkey Republic operates app-based bike-sharing services, with a stated focus on making urban transport more sustainable and accessible through partnerships with cities. Its platform lets private and business users find and access bikes digitally, while the company also provides operational and support services.7911
The service is European in scope. Donkey Republic’s website describes rentals in more than 190 cities across eight countries; its app-based process is to locate a bike, unlock it for a ride, then lock it at a designated drop-off point.9 The company’s own materials describe its wider activity as supporting sustainable transport and the sharing economy in cities.9
The company’s origins trace to co-founder Erdem Ovacik’s early experiment with shared bikes and combination locks in Copenhagen. Donkey Republic was established in 2014 to develop a wireless lock and bike-sharing system.7 Its registered office is in Copenhagen, Denmark, and its current CEO is Thor Möger Pedersen.29