A Guide to Bike Sharing in Milan

While Milan is an easily walkable city, and you can reach your destination quickly by foot, there are also various types of rental vehicles that you can use to get around the city. Bike-sharing is by far the fastest and most efficient transportation in Milan. We have put together this easy guide on the several companies that offer bike-sharing programs in Milan.

Station Based Bike-Sharing

Bike-Mi by ATM

You have probably already noticed the orange bike sharing stands on every street in the city. That is BikeMi, the public bike-sharing system of the city of Milan, that allows you to move around the city on traditional, electric and child-seat bikes. This initiative was created in 2008, and it quickly became a practical and sustainable system that improves the quality of the environment and physical well-being.

BikeMi is simple to use. First you will need to sign up by downloading the app and choosing from three subscriptions: daily €4.50, weekly €9 and annual €36. As soon as you purchase the subscription, the app will show you the bikes around you and you will be able to choose the type of bike that you would like to use. You will be given a slot number for the pick-up which is valid for 30 seconds. If the time runs out before the bike is picked up, the slot closes and you can immediately pick up another bike.

You can grab a bike 365 days a year, from 6am to midnight, for up to 2-hours at a time! If you choose a traditional bike, the first 30 minutes of every ride with BikeMi are completely free of charge, then it costs just €0.50 every 30 minutes thereafter. If you want to try out the pedal-assisted version, eBikeMi is just €0.25 for the first 30 minutes, €0.50 for the second 30 minutes, then €1 for the third half and €2 euros for the 4th half hour. Keep in mind that if the maximum time limit of 2 hours is exceeded, a penalty and additional rates will be imposed: €2 per 60 minutes for the traditional bike and €4 per 60 minutes for the electric bike. 

If you plan to ride for more than 2 hours, you can avoid the penalty fee by ending the ride and picking up another bike, but you will have to wait 10 minutes before the first and the second use.And the best part is? Bike-sharing means having your bike waiting for you around every corner, with pick-up and drop-off points conveniently located near metro stations, major landmarks, universities, attractions and neighbourhoods. No need to worry about finding a place to park, as there are a total of 325 stations and 5430 bicycles, from which 4280 classic bicycles, 1000 e-bikes and 150 pedal-assisted bicycles with child seats. You can find a list of the stations in Milan here.

Keeping in mind that most places take less than 30 minutes to commute to, using BikeMi is free to do so, apart from the sign up cost. If you are a tourist looking to see all of Milan’s attractions in one day, there is no need to purchase a metro day card when you can use BikeMi’s service for free. If you’re a local on the way to work, you might want to try biking for free to your destination and avoiding the metro stations during the crazy rush hours.

Download BikeMi on Appstore or Google Play.

Free Floating Bike-Sharing

Free floating means that the bikes can be picked up via the app and parked along the roadside where there are no reserved parking areas or restrictions. In Milan, there are four companies offering this service.

RideMovi

RideMovi (formerly known as Mobike) is a Chinese-owned bike-sharing company, with thousands of orange and silver bikes available throughout Milan. RideMovi is very easy to use. You just have to download the app  and create an account that allows you to locate the nearest available bike or e-bike on the map. You can reserve the bike for 15 minutes, allowing you enough time to get to it. Proceed by scanning the QR code from the bike or e-bike to unlock the rental, then enjoy the ride! When you get to your destination, open the RideMovi map and find the suggested parking areas highlighted with a P.  Park responsibly, upload a picture of your bike and don’t forget to lock the vehicle! Make sure you end your trip on the app, where you can also view your route, total number of km and cost.

The prices for RideMovi are per single use and they vary based on the type of the bicycle. Bicycles cost €1 for 20 minutes and e-bikes cost €0.20 per minute. 

Download RideMovi on Appstore or Google Play.

Lime

If you’re more into electric bikes, Lime is the way to go. Lime is a bike-sharing company that provides convenient and reliable short-term rentals of e-bikes at an affordable price. The system works the same as RideMovi. Download the app and register to locate the closest vehicle to you, scan the QR code to unlock the e-bike. Then ride safely to your destination! Finish by parking in a designed parking area, upload a picture of the vehicle and don’t forget to end your trip on the app to avoid further fees.

The prices for renting an electric bike with Lime start at €1 for unlocking it, then €0.25 per minute.

Download Lime on Appstore or Google Play.

Dott

Dott offers electric bikes available 24/7 across the full metropolitan area of Milan, both in city centres and suburban areas. The system works in the same way as RideMovi and Lime. 

The basic rate for a ride with Dott is €1 for unlocking it, then €0.26 per minute. You can find different discounts to save on daily, weekly and monthly fares on the app. 

Download Dott on Appstore or Google Play.

Tier

Tier is another operator offering electric bikes to share in Milan. Starting a ride with Tier is easy and it follows the same process as the previously mentioned companies. 

The price for a ride with Tier is €1 for unlocking the vehicle, then starting at €0.16 per minute. You can often find discounts on the app if you opt for day or round trips. 

Download Tier on Appstore or Google Play. 

To help you decide which operator to use, we created this table that shows the average costs for a 30-minute ride depending on the vehicle chosen.

Operator	Sign-up / Unlock Fee	30-minute Ride – Traditional Bike	30-minute Ride – Electric Bike
BikeMi	€4.50	Free	€0.25
RideMovi	€1	€1.50	€7.50
Lime	€1	–	€7.50
Dott	€1	–	€7.80
Tier	€1	–	€4.80

As you can see, Milan offers a variety of bike-sharing options that invite you to travel sustainably, whether it’s a traditional or an electric bike. So, the next time that you find yourself exploring Milan, consider ditching the everyday metro or tram, and hop on a bike to experience the city in a whole new way!

Article by Alexandra Ciunca for Easy Milano

Featured Image by The Nest Milan