I had subscribed for a subscription, but had misunderstood how the renting process worked exactly. Although I was quite annoyed on the phone, I was helped wonderfully and got a refund. From what I re... See more
Company replied
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Review summary
Created with AI, based on recent reviews
What people talk about most
Reviews shaping this summary
We found bikes next to the station. Unfortunately just one e-bike which we booked first. After that we couldn’t book a ‚normal‘ bike as all bikes had to be the same. Found another e-bike two street... See more
Company replied
It rides like a manual bike probably worse because it's so heavy ....there's barely any power going to the wheels. An electric bike that's harder to ride than a manual bike. Other than that in terms o... See more
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Wow. As an American wanting to ride daily, I didnt know about Donkey Republic til getting to Amsterdam. Seems natives (who own tons of bikes) arent that familiar with it so hope this helps. 33 euro... See more
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Company details
Written by the company
Donkey Republic offers an affordable bike-share system that is accessible via our app in a variety of cities across Europe.
Contact info
Skelbækgade 4, 1717 Copenhagen, Copenhagen, Denmark
- +45 89 88 72 27
- support@donkeyrepublic.com
- www.donkey.bike
3.5
Average
2K reviews
No recent history of asking for reviews
This company hasn't invited customers recently, so reviews may not be representative
Replied to 100% of negative reviews
Typically replies within 24 hours
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Return locations are awful
The return locations are very inconvenient and sometimes they send you to closed garages. Then they charge you extra for leaving them in other places. So if you are in a hurry don't use the service.
28 March 2026
Unprompted review
Reply from Donkey Republic
Hi there, thank you for your feedback. We’re sorry to hear that finding a drop-off spot was stressful. Our parking locations are often determined by city regulations to keep streets organized, and drop offs get removed from the map when they are full. But we definitely want to know if a specific spot is inaccessible or inconvenient, so we can sent a message to our local team to investigate the matter. We have sent you an email regarding your last rental.
Reply from Donkey Republic
Vielen Dank für deine super Bewertung!
The Donkey Republic bike was easy to…
The Donkey Republic bike was easy to use and convenient for short trips. I unlocked it quickly through the Donkey Republic App, and the ride felt comfortable and stable. It’s not very fast, but it’s perfect for getting around the city without any hassle.
23 March 2026
Unprompted review
Reply from Donkey Republic
Hi Shamira, thanks for sharing your experience! We’re thrilled the app worked seamlessly for you. Since you mentioned the speed, definitely look for our orange e-bikes if you find yourself in another Donkey Republic city in Europe, they add a great boost to longer rides! Happy cycling wherever your next trip takes you.
The best thing we did in Amsterdam!!!
22 March 2026
Unprompted review
Reply from Donkey Republic
Hey Alex! Thank you so much for your reply. I am happy that you got the real dutch experience of cycling through the city :)
Reply from Donkey Republic
Hey Jamie, That is amazing to hear, happy you had fun! Thanks for leaving your review!
Reply from Donkey Republic
We're happy to hear that you're enjoying Donkey! Thanks for the review Simon!
Quite scammy app
Quite scammy app. I have used many apps like this from other brands such as Tier, lime, dott…. They all make it easy for you to lock, stop the ride, submit an issue with service etc. but Donkey Republic is not like them. They just made it hard to stop your ride. You lock the bike and with no message displays that the ride is not finished and extra steps need to be done, and then customer service has this passive aggressive message like “ sorry you had this problem, anything in the app is unclear, please don’t hesitate to contact us” I ALREDY TOLD THEM LOL. Anyway I was charged for extra money and time I did not use and they would not refund.
Don’t recommend.
6 March 2026
Unprompted review
Reply from Donkey Republic
Hello Berta! I’m really sorry to hear about this.
We never want you to feel "scammed." This is why there is a tutorial when you start a rental explaining how to end one. Furthermore when locking the bike in a drop-off locations the app asks you if you actually want to END the rental as well. If you allowed notifications, you can see your live rental status at all times, even if you close the app, so you are never in doubt if you have a bike rented.
As you kept the bike rented, we do not offer a refund for this time, but we will of course share your feedback and hope to further improve our service.
We hope you will give us another shot in the future!
It was a really nice bike a really fun…
It was a really nice bike a really fun ride with my friend also and alone also but the seat could have some more improvements but overall it was great
9 March 2026
Unprompted review
Reply from Donkey Republic
Hi Uwais! Thanks a lot for your reply and happy to hear you enjoyed the ride with your friends! If there is every any bike faulty you can let it know at the end of your ride so we can keep the quality of the bikes high!
You will get ripped off
I rented a bike on Friday and prices state that you are charged €2.00 per 20 minute ride, I had the bike for around 6 hours then someone rented it. The next day I was charged €25.00 and it’s stated that I had it for 15 hours. When I called support they said it was my mistake as I didn’t end the ride, but the support agent told me I can’t give any money back but I will give you 3 hours free. Which I was happy about. Yesterday I took a bike for 1.44 minutes and again I was charged €12.00 so I called again and another support agent said I’m sorry and she said she would call me back but never did. So I want to inform everyone that it’s €6.00 per hour riding it or not, will never use again and I will inform everyone who goes near this place to rent.
7 March 2026
Unprompted review
Reply from Donkey Republic
Hi Michael, thanks for your review.
Our bikes are charged based on the total rental time until the ride is ended in the app, not only the time the bike is being ridden. Therefor normally a 6 hour rental would be 36 euros. Since we have a daily cap, it ended on 25 euros.
We have contacted you by email with a detailed explanation and have reviewed your case there.
If you have any further questions, feel free to reply to the email and we will be happy to assist.
Best way to commute in Kiel on vacation or short visit
It was so Nice. Easy Pick up and free for 30 Minutes. Perfect
6 March 2026
Unprompted review
Reply from Donkey Republic
Thank you very much for your review, we're happy to hear that you've enjoyed our bikes!
Reply from Donkey Republic
Thank you for your reply Marie! We're always happy to help :)
Reply from Donkey Republic
Hey Thomas! We are truly sorry to hear that you had experienced difficulties with the lock. Do not hesitate to reach out to support@donkeyrepublic.com so that we can take a closer look into it. Hoping to make your next ride smooth!
DONT EVER UAE THIS APP
DONT EVER USE THIS APP. They will say that you did not end the rentail period even though that you did and charge you 250 dkk, such a scam!
Update: I see now have they charged me 25dkk again and I haven’t even used the app??? Like what? Never ever use this bullshit of an app
14 February 2026
Unprompted review
Reply from Donkey Republic
Hey Edith. We can see you closed the app before the rental finished (the app even says, don't close the app yet!), furthermore you also left the bike outside a drop-off location for which you were charged a penalty :(
In the future please wait until the rental is finished and you receive a receipt confirming the end of your rental before closing the app.
Good bike!!!!
7 February 2026
Unprompted review
Reply from Donkey Republic
Thank you very much for your great review!!
Reply from Donkey Republic
Thanks for the review Anthony! We try to make things as easy as possible :)
Such a shame!
Having lived in London and used bikes for hire regularly, I’m confident on the process. Having also used Donkey a number of times I was more than happy using the bike. I believed I ended the renal correctly on the app and securely locked the bike back in the location I rented it from. To then receive a penalty fee for my 45 mins rental of £14. Speaking with support apparently my rental wasn’t ended correctly. Surely a notification via the app “are you still using your bike” as I’m sure many bikes aren’t rented for 24 hours, especially if the bike has been locked this would indicate the rental is over. I am now fearful the same issue will occur if I rent a bike again!! Such a shame as I really enjoyed cycling along the seafront with my child.
31 January 2026
Unprompted review
Reply from Donkey Republic
Hello there!
Sorry to hear this occurred to you and we appreciate you sharing your feedback in this regard.
There is an option to be notified if you have ongoing rentals, but it seems you did not allow the app to send you notifications in this case.
As you may have been informed already, simply locking the bike cannot indicate that you wish to end your rental. The procedure is clearly outlined at the start of your first rental on the tutorial. Locking the bike can also indicate a pause with the intention to use the bike later, as many of our riders do.
You can get back to us at support@donkeyrepublic.com if you feel like you need more information or wish to discuss this situation further and as for your fear of this happening again, simply follow the procedure of finishing the rental correctly and there should be nothing to worry about :)
Cheers!
No refunds for technical error in their app
I locked and ended the rental, but due to a technical error the rental wasn't ended. I texted them to refund me for their error, but they said their policy required them to charge me. I'll have to dispute this charge with my credit card company
22 January 2026
Unprompted review
Reply from Donkey Republic
Hi Thomas,
Thank you for leaving a review here. Having looked at what happened we can see you closed the app (despite the app asking you not to do so) before the rental ended. This is not a technical error I am afraid.
We could not rent the bike out to anyone else because of this, as such you were charged for the time you rented the bike.
We will of course also provide proof to your credit card company and flag this dispute as fraudulent.
Best regards,
Donkey Republic
The student discount is really…
The student discount is really affordable for international students on a short term stay!
15 January 2026
Unprompted review
Reply from Donkey Republic
Thank you very much for your kind review.
We are happy that we can provide you with a service that you like!
Unreliable app and untrustworthy customer service
My girlfriend and I had a very disappointing experience with Donkey Republic’s rental management and customer support.
A bike rental was left running in the background for more than 20 hours without any notification, alert, or warning from the app. My girlfriend only noticed it by accident. As soon as we spotted it, we immediately ended the rental.
Despite this, customer support claimed that a representative of the company had gone to check the location and found that the bike had been stolen. I went in person to check the location myself, and the bike was exactly where the system said it was and had clearly not been moved or touched at all.
Nevertheless, she was threatened with a potential fine of up to €900 for a supposedly stolen bike. After a stressful exchange, the only resolution offered was a 60% discount on the rental fee — even though the bike had not been used, moved, or mishandled in any way, and the issue originated from the lack of notifications or safeguards in their system.
This situation caused unnecessary stress and felt unfairly handled. A system that can silently run for 20+ hours without notifying the user, followed by accusations of theft and disproportionate penalties, raises serious concerns about both the app design and customer support approach.
Edit:
Update - it got worse. It seems that their customer service reps are not documenting their decisions, since after the call with them where I was explicitly told we are not liable, a different rep wrote her that she is still liable since it is stuck unlocked. I rented it after her to attempt to lock it, but couldn't since the lock had a mechanical fault. Customer service EXPLICITLY told us we are not liable.
1 January 2026
Unprompted review
Reply from Donkey Republic
Thanks for sharing your experience, we’re sorry this situation caused so much stress to you.
To clarify: rentals only stop once they are actively ended in the app, and bikes must be locked correctly to close a ride. This is all clearly explained in the beginning when you start your rental.
If this is not done, liability stays with the user, until the bike has been found or used by another user.
Normally the full extra charge is non-refundable when you forget to end the ride, because in this time we are unable to rent the bike to different users, even though you are not using the bike.
If you are experiencing problems with the lock, like you mentioned it is very important to notify us straight away so we can help, and document the issue.
We understand it can be frustrating if you get different messages, we are documenting decisions, however sometimes when different phone numbers or email addresses are used, notes get lost.
As a gesture of goodwill we have refunded you partially already for the over charge. If you need any more assistance please contact us directly so we can help you in the best way possible.
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