How to start your own bike sharing service

If you are thinking of starting your own bike sharing service, you’ve come to the right place. In this article we’ll tell you:

• what bike sharing is
• how to start your business
• how it differs from e-bike rental.

You’ll also find useful information on the earnings you can make from this type of business, and on the BikeBoom model for opening your own electric bike sharing franchise.

What is bike sharing?

Sharing is a new mobility model. The business is based on the use of shared means of transport.

In the case of bike sharing we are obviously talking about bicycles, but the types of offer can vary. Our BikeBoom sharing services, for example, include both e-bikes and e-kick scooters.

The trend towards sharing is growing all the time. That is why starting your own bike sharing business can be a rather profitable choice.

Opening a bike sharing service vs opening a bike rental business

Bike sharing and bike rental are two different business models.

Sharing is based, as the name suggests, on sharing. If you open an e-bike sharing service, you place vehicles in a specific area accessible to the public and only let users registered on an app use the bikes. The app controls the system and the vehicles’ usage time, with a per-minute rate.

• To open a free-floating sharing service on public land, you need a specific municipal licence.
• Otherwise, you can choose a station-based solution on private land, or on public land with the specific authorisation from the Municipality.

Don’t worry: further on in this article you’ll find all the key information for starting your sharing service.

E-bike rental, on the other hand, involves a physical shop where a customer goes to rent a bike for a period of hours, days or weeks, or long-term. You can open a rental business inside a bike shop or repair workshop, a hotel, a beach club or a small purpose-built space.
If your idea is to open a rental business, consider starting a franchise with BikeBoom to keep costs down.

How to start your own bike sharing service: the paperwork

As you can imagine, the first thing to tackle is the paperwork.

You have two options:

1. Free-floating sharing on public land, with a compulsory municipal licence;
2. Station-based sharing on private or public land, with authorisation from the Municipality.

To open a Sharing service you need to:

• register for a VAT number;
• register the business with the Companies Register and the Chamber of Commerce;
• file the SCIA (certified notice of start of business) with the Municipality;
• specify an operating address;
• register with INPS (social security) and INAIL;
• take out third-party liability insurance for the vehicles.

If you want to open a free-floating service, you also need to obtain the municipal licence for the bike sharing service (with the BikeBoom franchise, you get administrative support and our advice on obtaining the permits);

Better to open an e-bike sharing franchise with BikeBoom

Our BikeBoom Sharing partnership offer is very clear and great value.

The partnership consists of opening a shared rental business for e-bikes and e-kick scooters fitted with GPS. We have developed our own sharing app that lets you manage your fleet in a truly simplified way within your exclusive area.

You can open either a free-floating BikeBoom service on municipal land or a station-based sharing service on private or public land (with authorisation from the Municipality). In both cases, you get all the benefits and support of our staff:

The benefits of a BikeBoom sharing franchise:

• no entry fee;
• exclusive area;
• administrative support throughout the process;
• dedicated advice on obtaining the municipal licence for free-floating sharing;
• supply of electric vehicles at discounted prices;
• free BikeBoom app;
• a listing on Italy’s first booking portal for electric mobility.

Opening a BikeBoom franchise pays off both financially and by simplifying the processes of opening and running the business.

But we already know what your next question is.

How much do you earn with a BikeBoom bike sharing service?

The electric mobility market is growing. More and more Italian Municipalities are joining this kind of initiative, and the number of people using shared e-bikes and e-kick scooters is growing too.
Bike sharing operators enjoy excellent profit margins even in the short term, for a sustainable initial investment.

Can we put a figure on it? Yes.

In fact, we have developed an earnings projection for one year after opening a BikeBoom Sharing service, net of tax.

The model takes into account the initial investment, running costs, tax, fluctuations in users between the warm and cold seasons, and so on. The result is encouraging, and the earnings of BikeBoom sharing points confirm that sharing is a profitable business to invest in.

Find out more