Call a Bike

Call a Bike is a German bicycle-sharing service operated by Deutsche Bahn. It provides short-term access to shared bicycles in several major cities and at selected Intercity-Express railway stations, serving as a first- and last-mile complement to public transportation. The service is aimed at people who need a bicycle for a short urban trip without purchasing, storing, or maintaining a private cycle. The concept was founded in Munich in 1997 by Christian Hogl and Josef Gundel. Call a Bike began operating commercially in Munich in 2000. In its original form, customers rented bicycles by telephone and received a numerical code that could be used to release the lock. This model reflected the early generation of automated bicycle-sharing services, before smartphone applications and continuously connected electronic locks became standard. The original company later became insolvent. In 2001, Deutsche Bahn acquired the Call a Bike brand, its bicycles, and associated patents, and relaunched the service in Munich during the same year. Under Deutsche Bahn's ownership, the service expanded beyond its original market to additional German cities, including Berlin, Frankfurt am Main, and Cologne. Its network later included Darmstadt and Offenbach, while bicycles were also made available at selected ICE stations. This railway-linked presence distinguishes Call a Bike from a purely municipal bicycle system and supports combined rail-and-bike journeys. The service has evolved from telephone-based access to a digital rental platform. The Call a Bike mobile application displays available bicycles and rental locations, while compatible bicycles can be unlocked by scanning a QR code or selecting the bicycle in the application. At the end of a rental, users generally return the bicycle to a designated Call a Bike station and secure it using the electronic lock. The app-based model reduces the need for physical rental terminals and gives users a more direct view of fleet availability. A major fleet and technology update introduced in 2021 brought a redesigned application, QR-code-based rental, and a new electronic locking system. These changes modernized the customer journey and aligned the service with contemporary shared-mobility expectations. Call a Bike remains part of Deutsche Bahn's broader bicycle-sharing activities. Deutsche Bahn also operates related services under the StadtRAD name in Hamburg and Lüneburg and as RegioRadStuttgart in Stuttgart; those services are related within the group but are not the same brand. Call a Bike's positioning is therefore practical and transport-oriented rather than lifestyle-led. Its core proposition is convenient access to a shared bicycle for urban mobility, particularly around rail journeys and in established city networks. Availability, return rules, station coverage, and rental mechanics can vary by local network, but the service is generally structured around app-supported access and designated return points.

Call a Bike originated in Munich in 1997, when Christian Hogl and Josef Gundel founded the bicycle-sharing venture. The service began operating in Munich in 2000. Its first rental process relied on telephone communication: customers contacted the service and received a numerical code that allowed them to open the bicycle lock. This approach made it possible to operate a public bicycle system without requiring a staffed rental counter at every location. The original company subsequently became insolvent. Deutsche Bahn acquired the Call a Bike brand, its bicycles, and patents in 2001, then relaunched the service in Munich later that year. The acquisition placed bicycle sharing within the portfolio of Germany's national railway operator and created a direct connection between shared cycling and rail-based mobility. Deutsche Bahn subsequently expanded the service to other German cities, including Berlin, Frankfurt am Main, and Cologne. Call a Bike developed into a network serving multiple urban markets. Its listed coverage includes Berlin, Munich, Cologne, Frankfurt am Main, Darmstadt, and Offenbach. Bicycles are also available at selected ICE railway stations, where they can support onward travel after a long-distance rail journey. Deutsche Bahn runs other bicycle-sharing brands in Germany, including StadtRAD in Hamburg and Lüneburg and RegioRadStuttgart in Stuttgart. These services belong to the same broader corporate mobility context but retain separate brand identities. The customer experience changed substantially as mobile technology became central to shared mobility. The Call a Bike application began providing information about available bicycles and rental locations. A major update in 2021 combined a redesigned app with QR-code-based bicycle access and a new electronic locking system. Users can locate a bicycle in the application, scan its QR code or select it through the app, and release the electronic lock. Rentals generally end at designated Call a Bike stations, where the bicycle is locked again. The brand's history reflects the wider transition of bicycle sharing from telephone and mechanical-code systems to app-mediated fleets with electronic locks. Throughout that transition, its principal role has remained consistent: providing temporary bicycle access in German cities and helping connect railway stations with local destinations. Its ownership by Deutsche Bahn also gives it a transport-network orientation that differentiates it from independent dockless bicycle operators or bicycle-rental businesses focused primarily on tourism.

• 2021

  App and electronic-locking update

  [1]Call a Bikeen.wikipedia.org

  A fleet and technology refresh introduced a redesigned application, QR-code rental, and a new electronic locking system.

• 2001

  Deutsche Bahn acquires and relaunches the service

  [1]Call a Bikeen.wikipedia.org

  After the original company became insolvent, Deutsche Bahn acquired the brand, bicycles, and patents and relaunched Call a Bike in Munich.

• 2000

  Munich service begins

  [1]Call a Bikeen.wikipedia.org

  Call a Bike began operating as a bicycle-sharing service in Munich, initially using telephone rentals and numerical unlock codes.

• 1997

  Call a Bike is founded in Munich

  [1]Call a Bikeen.wikipedia.org

  Christian Hogl and Josef Gundel founded the venture that would become Call a Bike.

• Expansion to additional German cities

  [1]Call a Bikeen.wikipedia.org

  Under Deutsche Bahn, the service expanded to urban networks including Berlin, Frankfurt am Main, Cologne, Darmstadt, and Offenbach, as well as selected ICE stations.

A Deutsche Bahn-operated shared-mobility service focused on convenient urban bicycle access and integration with rail travel.

• Bicycle-sharing service · 2000

  Call a Bike urban bicycle sharing

  The core Call a Bike offering provides short-term access to shared bicycles in German urban networks. Users locate available bicycles and rental stations in the mobile application, unlock bicycles through a QR code or in-app selection, and generally return them to designated Call a Bike stations. The service is designed for everyday city trips and for connections to and from public transportation.

• Rail-linked bicycle rental

  Call a Bike railway-station service

  Call a Bike bicycles are available at selected ICE railway stations, extending the service beyond city-center networks. This offering supports onward travel after rail journeys and reinforces Deutsche Bahn's integrated mobility proposition. Availability is limited to participating stations and follows the operating rules of the relevant Call a Bike network.

• Mobility application · 2021

  Call a Bike mobile application

  The mobile application is the primary customer interface for locating bicycles, viewing rental locations, and initiating rentals. Following the 2021 technology update, users can unlock compatible bicycles by scanning a QR code or selecting the bicycle in the app, while the electronic locking system manages access and return.

• 2021

  Call a Bike modernizes its rental technologyGeneration change

  Background

  The service needed a contemporary digital access model suited to smartphone-based bicycle sharing.

  Action taken

  Call a Bike introduced a redesigned application, QR-code-based rental, and a new electronic locking system as part of a fleet and technology update.

  Aftermath

  Bicycle discovery and access moved further into the mobile application, replacing the earlier telephone-and-numerical-code experience with app-mediated unlocking.

  Source

• 2001

  Deutsche Bahn takes over Call a BikeM&A

  Background

  The original Call a Bike company became insolvent, creating an opportunity for Deutsche Bahn to acquire the operating assets and continue the bicycle-sharing service.

  Action taken

  Deutsche Bahn acquired the Call a Bike brand, bicycles, and patents and relaunched the service in Munich.

  Aftermath

  The service continued under Deutsche Bahn and expanded to additional German cities and selected ICE railway stations.

  Source

• 2021

  Call a Bike introduces a new rental technology platform[1]Call a Bikeen.wikipedia.org

  Product generation · Product launch

  A fleet and technology update introduced a redesigned mobile application, QR-code-based rental, and a new electronic locking system.

• 2001

  Deutsche Bahn acquires the Call a Bike brand and assets[1]Call a Bikeen.wikipedia.org

  M&A

  Following the insolvency of the original company, Deutsche Bahn acquired the Call a Bike brand, bicycles, and patents and relaunched the service in Munich.

1. 1Call a Bikeen.wikipedia.org
2. 2Call a Bike official websitecallabike.de