Nextbike NZ Ltd.

Nextbike has a clear vison - That bicycles can be public transport, for all New Zealanders.
Located in Central Auckland, Nextbike rents public bikes, released by making a mobile phone call- a quick and easy way to get around the city. Marketing partners buy advertising on the bikes and make it possible for Nextbike subscribers to use a bike for 30 minutes each day at no charge.  

"Public bikes are an integral part of the public transport network in over 200 international cities and NextBike’s investment in Auckland means that now over 170 bikes available for you to get around the city in a sustainable way" says Julian Hulls.

With a strong car culture creating a shift to rental bikes has been a challenge that Nextbike have taken up whole heartedly. They have collaborated with groups such as Frocks on Bikes to promote cycling and   were involed in the recent workshop set up to raise cycle awareness in bus drivers and visa versa.

Minimising  fuel consumption is another priority for Nextbike – staff have their own Nextbikes for travel and use them for meetings and maintainence rounds. Staff are also given good quality detachable lights to increase the times when they can safely ride. Relocating bikes to start locations has been optimized by combining relocations with maintenance runs once or twice a week.

Looking to the future Nextbike are planning to buy a bike trailer capable of moving four bikes simultaneously that their mechanic could use every day on his rounds to reduce the number of van trips. All damaged bike components are stripped of broken parts and made available as spares for the rest of the fleet – reducing  costs and improving mechanics’ understanding of components. Adboards are printed onto a plastic that can be recycled and all bikes are cleaned once a week using a biodegradable citrus based degreaser.

A carefully chosen location on the outskirts of the CBD provides easy riding access to bikes as well as  advertising buyers. The building has large west facing double glazed windows to let in light and trap heat.

Nextbike are members of Cycle Action Auckland, The ARTA Walking and Cycling Forum and actively lobby NZTA and the local guardians of the Regional Land Transport Strategy (The Regional and City Councils) to value the critical role that hire bikes play in a truly sustainable urban transport system.