AirDonkey: introducing the Airbnb for bicycles
A Danish company hopes to capitalise on the boom in cycling by helping bicycle owners rent out their bikes to tourists. But will it work in Britain?
According to the old management maxim, "a camel is a horse designed by committee".
So what, you may ask, is a donkey? In the case of a new startup company that is quickly gaining attention online, the answer is: a cross between Airbnb and Uber (with, er, bikes thrown in.)
AirDonkey is the brainchild of Erdem Ovacik and Alexander Frederikse, two Danish friends who want to bring easily rentable bicycles to a city near you.
Their idea works much the same as Airbnb, the app that helps people to rent out their spare bedrooms to tourists visiting the city. Airbnb has proven to be hugely succesful, offering homeowners the chance to make some cash on the side while allowing visitors to find affordable accomodation - and Ovacik and Frederikse hope to emulate its success in the bicycle rental market.
AirDonkey's starter kit includes a placard that must be attached to the bike's handlebars
Under the scheme, owners or spare of little-used bikes are encouraged to buy an AirDonkey 'starter kit' (RRP roughly €80), which buys them a specially designed electronic lock for their bicycle. They can then advertise the bike's availability and whereabouts on the associated app, allowing users to book the bicycle for a day or longer.
Once payment - normally set at around €10 per day - has been processed, the renter can lock and unlock the bicycle by the flick of a switch on their smartphone.
Ovacik and Frederikse say they have successfully tested the idea in Copenhagen with 150 bikes. Under the company name Donkey Republic, they are now trying to source investment to roll out the scheme worldwide.
A Kickstarter project established by the duo has currently raised kr129,139 (£12,467) of a kr250,000 goal (£24,131), with 31 days still to run before the deadline.
"Too many people only use their bike once in a while or has a spare bike for guests that is hardly ever used," said Ovacik. "We want to enable people to make money from their own bike, their spare bike and also give them the chance to start micro-businesses.
• 10 best high-vis cycling jackets
"This way they can co-create a better economy and experiences for both bike owners and bicycle users at the same time. The lock combined with the platform provides them with the opportunity to do all that".
AirDonkey is not the first bicycle rental app - Splinster, for example, operates in similar territory - but it differentiates itself from others by allowing the bikes to 'roam free', rather than forcing renters to return them to an exact location at the end of the day. Instead, renters on AirDonkey merely specify a geographical zone where the bike should be left once used.
A heavy duty locking mechanism may be required if AirDonkey is to work in Britain's hot-fingered cities
Herein lies AirDonkey's biggest obstacle to cracking the British market. Bike theft in Scandinavia and much of continental Europe is much lower in Britain, where we tend to spend more on first- and second-hand bikes. As a result, AirDonkey might struggle to attract bike owners who are willing to leave their bikes with only a basic wheel clamp as protection.
The company say they are working on a stronger lock that would allow users to attach the bicycle to a permanent object - but for now, it remains to be seen whether this donkey runs like a horse or a camel.
