Travel
Bikes, e-bikes and scooters: hiring, renting and the rules
City bike-share passes and the hire apps compared, renting by the month, what you need to ride a scooter in Southeast Asia, taking your own bike on trains and planes, and e-bike and e-scooter rules.
Checked on 21 October 2026. Prices, fees and rules are from each company's own pages, or the law, unless we say otherwise. They change, so check when you book.
The short version
- For a short stay, a city bike-share pass is often cheaper than the apps. In London, Santander Cycles' day pass is £3 for unlimited rides of up to 30 minutes (2024 prices), where Lime normally charges £1 to unlock and about 30p a minute; in Mexico City a year of Ecobici, at MXN 588, costs less than two 7-day passes. TfL, Santander Cycles e-bikes and day pass, January 2024, Time Out London, Lime subscription, March 2026, Mexico City tourism, Ecobici, Expansión Política, Ecobici fares, August 2026
- Hire e-scooters have gone from some big cities. Paris stopped them in September 2023 and Madrid took away the operators' licences from October 2024, says the press; Paris's Vélib' bikes still run. Separately, Barcelona plans to end private shared bikes on 1 January 2027 and expand its own Bicing. electrive, Madrid bans rental scooters, September 2024, RATP, Vélib' tickets and fares, Ara, Barcelona ends shared bikes, June 2026
- Renting a scooter in Southeast Asia needs the right licence. The UK government says to carry the 1968 international driving permit with your UK licence in Thailand and Vietnam, and that if you couldn't legally ride that bike in the UK, your insurer may not cover you in Thailand. In Indonesia, "You cannot drive using your UK driving licence" without a UK-issued permit. FCDO, Thailand safety and security, October 2026, FCDO, Vietnam safety and security, September 2026, FCDO, Indonesia safety and security, September 2026
- Taking your own bike costs extra, and e-bikes often can't fly. From London, Eurostar charges £45 each way booked more than 48 hours ahead and £60 inside 48 hours; easyJet and Ryanair don't carry electric bicycles. Eurostar, travelling with your bike, easyJet, sports equipment, Ryanair help, sports equipment
Bike and scooter apps
Pick up a bike or scooter in the street and pay by the minute or by the day. Prices are set city by city and shown in each app. Alphabetical.
| App | Where | Prices | Worth knowing | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bolt | 200 European cities in 2022, says a trade report; we couldn't find a current count | Shown in the app | The same company as the Bolt taxi app. Still running in cities including London, Berlin and Prague in 2025, says the press | Go to Bolt |
| Donkey Republic | Cities listed on its site | Day deals from 24 hours to 7 days; 24 hours in Copenhagen was 99 kr in 2023 | Monthly memberships give you 2 to 12 hours of riding a day | Go to Donkey Republic |
| Dott | 427 cities in more than 20 countries after the TIER merger (October 2024, says the press) | Shown in the app | Merged with TIER in 2024; TIER riders moved to the Dott app | Go to Dott |
| Lime | 35 countries and regions listed on its site | London: normally £1 to unlock and about 30p a minute; LimePrime, at £6.99 a month, gives free unlocks (March 2026, says Time Out) | Pay by credit, debit or prepaid card; Apple Pay, Google Pay, PayPal or Klarna in some places | Go to Lime |
| nextbike | 300+ cities in Europe (2024, says the press) | Set by each city scheme | Works with cities and councils on their schemes; sold to Star Capital in 2024 | Go to nextbike |
| Voi | 110+ towns and cities in 12 countries (July 2025) | Shown in the app | Its three core markets are Germany, the UK and Sweden | Go to Voi |
Sources: CiTTi Magazine, Bolt e-bikes, June 2022, Zag Daily, Bolt micromobility trips, January 2026, Donkey Republic, what a bike costs, March 2023, Dott, TIER and Dott merger completes, 2024, electrive, TIER brand disappears, October 2024, Lime, LimePrime, Time Out London, Lime subscription, March 2026, Lime help, how do I pay for a ride?, road.cc, TIER sells nextbike, May 2024, Voi, second quarter report, July 2025, Micromobility.io, Voi's 2025 results
Where hire e-scooters have gone, says the press: Paris (since September 2023), Madrid (operators' licences revoked from October 2024) and central Melbourne (2024). Prague said in October 2025 it would ban them from 2026, though reports differ on whether that is the first district or the whole city, and we couldn't confirm what has happened since. Separately, Barcelona plans to end private shared bikes on 1 January 2027. electrive, Madrid bans rental scooters, September 2024, Daily Maverick, Melbourne bans e-scooter hire, August 2024, electrive, Prague e-scooter rentals, October 2025, Expats.cz, Prague shared e-scooters, October 2025, Ara, Barcelona ends shared bikes, June 2026
Renting by the week or month, and scooter hire
Alphabetical.
| Company | What | Where | Worth knowing | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| BikesBooking.com | Bicycles, scooters, motorbikes and quads from local rental shops | 70 countries, it says (a network listing says 40) | Founded in 2015, it says | Go to BikesBooking.com Affiliate link |
| Flexbike | Scooters, bikes, cars and gear by the day, week or month, delivered to you | Bali, Phuket and Chiang Mai, says an app listing | Not checked on its own site | |
| Riderly | Scooters, motorbikes and quads from local rental companies | 91 countries; 600+ local providers | Prices "equal or lower than you can book on arrival", it says | Go to Riderly |
| Swapfiets | A bike or e-bike for a monthly fee, with repairs included | 45 cities in the Netherlands, Germany, Belgium, Denmark, France, Spain, Austria and the UK | Netherlands: the Original bike is €20.90 a month. London: e-bikes from £54.90 a month, and a flexible plan with a joining fee that you can cancel any time (2024, says the press) | Go to Swapfiets |
Sources: BikesBooking.com, about us, Travelpayouts, BikesBooking, Flexbike app listing, Riderly, home page, eBikes International, Swapfiets buys Dance, May 2026, Swapfiets help, where is Swapfiets available?, Swapfiets, Swapfiets vs OV-fiets, December 2025, road.cc, e-bike subscriptions, May 2024
Riding a scooter or motorbike abroad
From the UK government's travel advice and insurers' own wording.
- Thailand
- Carry the 1968 international driving permit and your UK licence. Hire bikes in tourist areas "are often unregistered and cannot be used legally on a public road". Helmets are the law. Don't hand over your passport as a guarantee. FCDO, Thailand safety and security, October 2026
- Vietnam
- Carry the 1968 permit and your UK licence. Riding without third-party insurance or a helmet is illegal. Don't use your passport as a deposit, and "Do not hire a motorbike if you're not an experienced rider." FCDO, Vietnam safety and security, September 2026
- Indonesia, including Bali
- "You cannot drive using your UK driving licence", but you can with a UK-issued international driving permit. Wear a helmet in good condition: moped and motorbike accidents have risen sharply. FCDO, Indonesia safety and security, September 2026
- Getting the permit
- Thailand, Vietnam and Indonesia need the 1968 type. Get it in person from shops with PayPoint, for £5.50, with a Great Britain or Northern Ireland licence. You can't get one once you're abroad: the UK government says so for Thailand. GOV.UK, international driving permits, January 2025, FCDO, Thailand safety and security, October 2026
- What your UK licence covers
- A moped is designed to go no faster than 45 km/h (28 mph). A car test passed before 1 February 2001 lets you ride one; anything bigger needs a motorcycle category, such as A1 for bikes up to 125cc. The Highway Code, annex 2, October 2025
- Travel insurance
- Policies differ, so read yours. Post Office covers mopeds up to 125cc if you have a UK driving licence or a CBT certificate and wear a helmet, but not electric scooters or electric bicycles. World Nomads wants a motorbike licence valid at home and where you ride, a helmet and under 125cc. Staysure's October 2025 policy leaves motorcycles out of its personal accident cover. In a 2023 case the ombudsman sided with an insurer that refused a claim on a 500cc bike, because the policy only covered bikes under 125cc. Post Office Travel Insurance, sports and activities list, World Nomads, riding a motorbike or scooter, July 2024, Staysure, policy wording, October 2025, Financial Ombudsman Service, decision DRN-4320161, 2023
Taking your own bike
| Who | Price | Rules |
|---|---|---|
| British Airways | Counts as one of your checked bags; otherwise you pay for an extra bag | Box or bag up to 190 x 95 x 65 cm; tell BA 72 hours ahead; no e-bikes |
| Deutsche Bahn | €7.99 to €14.99 on long-distance trains within Germany | A bike ticket and a reservation on long-distance trains; folded bikes go free as hand luggage; e-bikes assisted up to 25 km/h are fine; cross-border trips can't be booked online |
| easyJet | £50 online, £55 at the airport, each flight (undated fees page) | Up to 32 kg, in a bike box or bag; no e-bikes |
| Eurostar | From London: £45 each way booked more than 48 hours ahead, £60 inside 48 hours. Routes within mainland Europe show a €30 charge | Selected trains and standard road bikes only; to or from Paris it must be boxed or bagged; check in at least 90 minutes before; no e-scooters. Its pages disagree on whether bikes can go to or from Amsterdam, so check with Eurostar before you book |
| National Rail (UK) | Folding bikes go free on all trains | Some trains need a bike reservation; road-legal e-bikes go on most trains, but only folding ones on the Elizabeth line and London Overground |
| Ryanair | Shown when you book; we couldn't read Ryanair's fees page | Up to 30 kg, in a protective box or bag; no e-bikes |
Sources: British Airways, flying with sports equipment, Deutsche Bahn, bicycle tickets, Deutsche Bahn, long-distance bike ticket (German), easyJet, fees, easyJet, sports equipment, Eurostar, travelling with your bike, Eurostar help, can I take my bike?, National Rail, train travel with bicycles, Ryanair help, sports equipment
E-bike and e-scooter rules, helmets and locks
- E-bikes in Great Britain
- Pedals that move it, a motor of no more than 250 watts, and assistance that cuts out at 15.5 mph; you must be 14 or over. These don't need registering, insuring or taxing. Anything else counts as a motor vehicle, and you need a driving licence. GOV.UK, e-bikes (EAPCs) in Great Britain, December 2024
- E-bikes in the EU
- Up to 250 W, with assistance that stops when you stop pedalling and before 25 km/h; these are left out of the EU's motor vehicle approval rules. Regulation (EU) 168/2013, article 2 (EUR-Lex)
- E-scooters in the UK
- It is illegal to ride a privately owned e-scooter on pavements, roads or in parks. Hire scooters are allowed only in official trial areas, on roads and cycle lanes, and you need a full or provisional UK licence. GOV.UK, riding an electric scooter, July 2025
- E-scooters in Spain
- Not on pavements or in pedestrian areas. Insurance is compulsory for every e-scooter from 2 January 2026. Spanish law says riders must wear a helmet, on terms still to be set, and some cities already require one, so check locally. DGT (Spanish traffic authority), e-scooters, January 2026, DGT, e-scooter register and insurance, December 2025
- Helmets
- Required for all cyclists in Malta, for children in Sweden, Slovenia and Czechia, and outside towns in Spain, says an older European Commission page; in most EU countries they're optional. In New South Wales, Australia, they're the law. European Commission, traffic rules for cyclists, European Commission, bicycle helmet laws, NSW Government, cycling safety gear, August 2024
- Locks and theft
- The Metropolitan Police says to use two good locks, at least one a D-lock, through the frame and both wheels, and to register your frame number on a database approved by Secured by Design. Secured by Design lists BikeRegister, a private company's database that police check. For e-bikes, Secured by Design suggests a Sold Secure Gold or Diamond lock. Metropolitan Police, protect your bike from theft, Secured by Design, bicycle security
Guided bike tours
A quick way to learn a city's bike lanes in your first week. Search either site for "bike tour" and the city. Alphabetical.
| Site | What | |
|---|---|---|
| GetYourGuide | Bookable tours and activities | Go to GetYourGuide |
| Viator | Bookable tours and activities | Go to Viator Affiliate link |
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